Snow days!
/We interrupt the regularly scheduled plan for a Snow Day (or two or three)! Yesterday, we had our first snowfall of the year--about 5 inches or so. Since this is Virginia and I can't count on a second snowfall of the year, I put all our regular plans on hold in order to "get real" in the snow. I think I love snow even more than some of my children (definitely more than my littlest, apparently). Must be those early years in New England--I find myself envying some people and their weather. Snow Days are extraordinary in my house. For one, they get capital letters on blog posts. And they get special foods--just like feast days.
So, yesterday, as soon as an early morning phone call confirmed that it would indeed be a snow event (it helps when one's son has godfather who directs the early news--thanks Bill), I started making lists. First, the food list, so that Michael could make a quick dash to the store:
- Pancakes for breakfast
- apple cider and mulling spices
- more milk and cocoa for hot chocolate
- mini marshmallows to make "indoor snowballs" as a snack
- ingredients for Alice Cantrell's spice cake for tea time
- big marshmallows to roast by the fire at night
- French dip for dinner
Then, we gathered some snow books, not too many, but a few favorites:
My Brother Loved Snowflakes
Snowflake Bentley
The Snowy Day
Sugar Snow
The Mitten
The Three Snow Bears
Owl Moon
And one to memorize: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Yesterday, I just let them play (and eat and read a little). Today, we'll start to think about snow. We'll peruse the links below and scamper off down trails of interest. Reading and notebooking about snow is the order of the day (and probably a few days next week). And we have company coming next week, too. So, the real life of weather and friends will push the Alphabet Path aside until the week after next. It will be there waiting for us when we have finished enjoying and learning from this unexpected gift of God.
- Six-fold symmetry of the snow crystal (click here and then click on "Nature, Number, and Geometry")HT: Kim
- Make a virtual snowflake
- Make a virtual snowman
- Since Daddy's in Buffalo today, we're reading about a place where it really snows:-)
- The Snowflake Bentley Website
- Physics of Snow Crystals
- How do animals keep snug in the snow?
- What color is snow, really?
- Learn some new facts about snow
- Intermediate level list to help understand winter weather
- Snow art, snow castles, virtual snowflakes, and lots of snow info
- The official site of the Snowman story , with some games
- The FEMA Winter Storm site for kids
- More snow info, including Eskimo snow words
- Jan Brett activities