Winter Weather



Small Snowman; January 2013
Keri Withington



Where I'm from, even the lightest dusting of snow usually results in a free day.  Schools are closed, and many businesses and other activities are as well.  There is always something special about having one of these days at home with your family, bundled up against the cold when you venture out, and bustling inside for hot chocolate and dry gloves.

I am a firm believer that you should have fun in the snow.  My husband recently told me that, "you know you're getting old when you don't want to play in the snow anymore."  My four-year-old was so excited about snow that she was literally jumping up and down and dancing around.  Making a snowman was the highlight not just of her day, but probably of the whole season.

I am also a firm believer that learning, especially with kids, should be fun.  There's no reason why you can't include educational activities with winter weather.  It is tempting to just hibernate in front of the TV (and there's nothing wrong with that in small doses), but there are loads of fun and educational activities to try as well.

One of my favorite traditions we have in my family is that we always decorate a winter tree for the birds.  During winter, food becomes scarce for wildlife, and snow and ice can make it difficult for birds to reach what food there is.  Making the bird friendly decorations is a fun and educational activity, and then we can watch the birds all winter.  This is a great chance to study wildlife.  For my ideas on home-made birdfood hangers, click here.

You can also study the freezing points of different liquids outside, use snowballs to study trajectories in math and physics, or go sledding  for P.E.