Winter in our state is incredibly short-lived. For example, it is currently the middle of January and the thermostat in my car claimed the temperature reached 67 degrees the other day. This is a far cry from the cold, dreary, and very icy Januaries I grew up with in the Chicago area. Here snowfall happens once, maybe twice, a year and lasts only a day or two. Usually, we can’t even classify the phenomenon as snow. More often than not it’s a sort of sleet that coats our roads with ice, causing everything to shut down.
As I planned our Five in a Row curriculum schedule back in May, I figured I would arrange the book Katy and the Big Snow for a random week in January. If I were still living in the Midwest, I could easily assume that any point in the winter would be an appropriate time for a snow-themed week, considering there is almost always a white powder on the ground from December-February. Down here in the south, however, I had to take my chances. The best bet would be sometime in January.
Similar to last year when we read The Snowy Day, it just so happened that on the week we were scheduled to read a snow-themed book, we received our 24-hour snowfall. I was overjoyed about the timing!
I love snow days, especially now that I’m living in an area where snow isn’t common. The way it softens the loud hustle and bustle of everyday life is dreamy, and I’ll admit that I love any excuse to spoil my kids. When snow happens here, it shakes up schedules and brings a different atmosphere to the house. It’s a special occasion of sorts, therefore rules can bend and we concentrate on making our day cozy, memorable, and fun!
After doing school work, we went outside to play in the snow, where we built Hudi’s first real snowman (usually we don’t get snowman-worthy snow, so this was pretty exciting). Naturally, hot chocolate followed after, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. As a continuation of our Tale of Peter Rabbit week, we dabbled in English cuisine and baked delicious raspberry lemon scones. To finish out the night we had one last treat that is a snow day tradition in our home: snow cream!
The snow was marvelous, but since I didn’t expect it, I had “snow” themed fun all ready for the kids, which didn’t require real snow. This was a fun and relaxed winter-themed sensory activity that captured the attention of both my 4 and 1-year-old. They even played together, which I love to see! Clean up was a bit more of a challenge, but nothing a vacuum couldn’t handle.
And the prep? So easy. All you do is mix together:
3 cups baking soda
1/2 cup conditioner
That’s it! Put it in a container, give the kiddos some toys to scoop and shape with, and there you have it. Hours of fun!
Originally published 1/25/18
