Schools across much of the Maritimes were silent again Thursday, after the region was hit with its third storm in the past week.

Students in Cape Breton will lose this entire school week to storm days, along with Friday’s one-day teachers strike. They also had three storm days last week.

While many school grounds are still unplowed, Thursday’s conditions were perfect for outdoor winter activities. Some students in Sydney spent the afternoon tobogganing, on their fourth consecutive snow day this week.

“I think safety-first is very important with the kids, with the high snowbanks, some of the schools not being cleared out,” says parent Darren Desmond.

Most parents don’t seem to fault school boards for cancelling after some of the severe weather the Maritimes have received lately, but for some, the accumulation of missed time is adding up.

“If they don’t have a babysitter like myself, or anybody like a caregiver that they can depend on, they have to take the day off work. So they’re losing money with snow days,” says babysitter Taylor MacLeod.

According to the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, classes have been cancelled at all schools twelve times this school year due to weather. Seven of those cancellations have been this month.

Since last Friday, five straight school days have been lost to winter storms. And it’s not just weather keeping students out of classes.

Nova Scotia teachers are holding a one-day strike on Friday to protest imposed contract legislation. Monday is ‘Heritage Day,’ a provincial holiday. That adds up to seven straight weekdays off for students in Cape Breton.

“I’m not even ready for school anymore, I don’t even get up on time! Like, I usually get up on a normal schedule, but now I don’t even get up at that time,” says student Kenneth Snow.

“I like staying home from school, but I don’t like staying home that much,” says student Ryder Walker.

In Halifax, the number of days students have missed due to weather is much lower; about 7.5 days this school year.

A spokesperson for the Halifax Regional School Board says they are not worried about making up missed time, because teachers are very adept at adjusting their practice to ensure all curriculum outcomes are covered.

“Parents can take the initiative to teach their kids somethings at home, like educational games. Make it fun for them at home,” says Taylor MacLeod.

What may be less fun for students is making up for lost time once classes resume.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.