Snow Much Fun!

With winter and cold weather upon us, children’s play is often limited to the indoors both at home and in school. By the time the kids get home from school and finish homework, it is already getting dark, so outside playtime is limited. Plus, add lack of motivation to play in frigid temperatures to the list that limits outdoor play. Let’s not forget that most school districts do not allow students outside for recess if the temperature drops below a certain temperature. Don’t forget to add the pandemic to the list. Winter weather plus the pandemic equals not a lot of opportunities for students to get outside with friends and play.

As a way to change this and welcome the winter season,  I have found some opportunities for our students to get outside more and play in the snow. Playing in the snow allows children to just be children and explore a world of endless opportunities. They can create artwork, build structures, create a dream world full of snow people, animals, and creatures. They can allow their imagination to soar. Snow is a blank canvas with an endless world of opportunities only limited by your imagination. Plus, if dressed appropriately, have you ever seen someone look unhappy in the snow? Even with adults, you can see the twinkle in their eyes and the mischief in their faces as they resort to being a kid again. Playing in the snow is one of the childhood memories, (and adult memories) that will be with them the rest of their lives.

I am blessed to have the support of a wonderful principal and administration. They welcomed the idea of some “snow play”. First, I sent a letter to all the parents in the school letting them know that I was planning on taking the students out in the snow. I sent the letter out just before winter started so that I gave all the parents ample time to gather snow gear. Students needed a snow jacket, snow pants, snow boots, and good gloves. A hat was suggested as well. I added a contact number for our social worker, Lauri Carluccio, in case any families needed financial help to acquire snow gear. Lauri was great and used funds to purchase gear so we had extra for families in need. I spent the summer visiting flea markets in the tri-state area to purchase sleighs and sandcastle playsets. I also went to dollar stores and purchased spray bottles and food coloring, which I will discuss below. I asked parents for donations of old snow boots, jackets, snow pants, and gloves that their children outgrew. I used the donated gear for when a student came to class unprepared to play in the snow.

Students practiced their engineering and design skills by working as a class to build forts. Their task was to build a fort that could hide their entire class. The students took it a few steps further and started creating rooms in their fort. They made a bedroom with a bed, a table, and chairs and yes, even a bathroom with a toilet.

Students worked on their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills by working together to build snow people or creatures. I was amazed at how some students did not know how to build a snow person. I taught the students how to roll a snowball into a bigger ball for the snow person’s body. From there, their creativity took flight!! They created everything from snow families to flying dragons and one 1^st grader’s sculpture of Peppa Pig was so realistic. It was wonderful to see all the different sides and talents of each of my students. We created snow angels, snow castle cities, and the students used the fresh snow as a blank canvas to create original works of art.  They even used spray bottles full of food coloring to add color to their masterpieces.

Snow offers many great ways to improve our physical fitness. We went sleigh riding and each time they had to climb back up was a workout in and of itself. Students improve their muscular endurance by taking turns pulling each other across the flat field on sleighs. They worked on their muscular strength by working together to see how many classmates they could pull on the sleighs at a time. Every step they took in the high snow was improving their cardiovascular endurance. They worked on their reaction time and agility while participating in relay races and scavenger hunts; playing games such as Tug-of-War, Capture the Flag, and Tag games, to name a few. We build obstacle courses and had fun testing out each other designs.

The benefits of being outside in the fresh air are numerous. Just being outside limits the student’s exposure to the Covid-19 virus and other viruses that cause flu and cold. The students are always thankful and appreciate each time I take them out in the snow. They appreciate these days because they understand they don’t come around often. There are years when the snow barely sticks to the ground. They treasure these moments and will always look back on these memories fondly, as will I.