A few education-minded — and snow-packed — items from around the area:

Tuesday’s snowstorm didn’t freeze out classes Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean parents of school-age children have escaped the winter’s cold hand of inconvenience.

Yes, we still have plenty of opportunities for schools to be closed once again because of inclement weather, and it pays to be prepared.

A friend of mine in Wichita — where schools were closed Wednesday because of snow — wrote a nice story outlining games parents could play to help shake symptoms of cabin fever.

Among them: Save a snowman… Build a fort… Dance.

Personally, I’m intrigued about another suggestion: Blow bubbles. Outside, in the cold. I may have to try that one myself…

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For what it’s worth, the Tuesday snow that socked Wichita didn’t stand much of a chance of canceling classes here in Lawrence.

Not that Rick Doll was taking any chances.

“I was up but I didn’t stay out long,” said the superintendent of the Lawrence school district, who arises on potential snow days at 4 a.m., then drives streets to check road conditions, sidewalks and school parking lots. “I knew they were going to be good.”

•••

Snow scheduling: Monday night, members of the Lawrence school board will consider deciding how make up time lost when Doll canceled classes Feb. 2.

If, it turns out, such time needs to be made up at all.

As previously reported, the district tentatively needs to add time to the school year, either by extending each school day by a few minutes through the end of the year, or by adding another school day to the end of the academic calendar.

That’s because the district’s previous four “inclement weather” days already are accounted for: The first two will be made up April 15 and 29, as scheduled for in the original school calendar; the other two don’t need to be made up, thanks to state rules that give the district two freebies because officials had planned ahead for two snow days.

The fifth snow day — which arrived Feb. 2 — remains a bit of a wild card. District officials are busy this week, crunching numbers to see exactly how much time might need to be made up, and by whom. That’s because the state requires the district to provide students with 1,116 hours of time in the classroom.

Depending on grade levels, and particular school schedules, some students may need to make up all of the lost time, Doll said. Others may not need to make up any at all.

Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.

“We’re just figuring out — exactly — what that is, and double-checking everything,” Doll said. “We do have a little bit of time built into the schedule.”

The board’s meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive.

— The First Bell e-mailbox is always open: mfagan@ljworld.com.