The Gift of Snow

Waking up to the Wintery Wonderland is always a gift. The world of white abounds and surrounds. And it is still coming down.

I've seen reports of both 35 states being affected, and also ones saying that half the US being under snow storm forecasts for this weekend. That's a lot of people facing a lot of snow. At this writing Sunday morning, the federal government is already closed, but I'm awaiting our county's school district decision. I'm not too worried. 

The pace of life just seems to change when the blizzardarious conditions head your way. You stock up. You settle in. You hunker down. You bundle up and head out to explore--OR--you snuggle in and get toasty in front of a fire or under a blanket. Expectations change and it's all cozy and comfort food and time slows down. Some of it is the novelty and unexpected variety to your normal days, and some of it is just the inability to go anywhere because you are closed in with that blanket of snow and the plows not yet making their way to you. It is a gift. The gift of time.

With my gift, I see books being read. Blog posts being written. Shows being watched. Naps maybe being taken. Soup being made. Maybe a load or two of laundry getting tackled, or even a scary clutter corner or two. But the bar is low, as are the expectations. It's a rather cozy gift indeed....as long as the power stays on! 😉 

How are you going to spend your gift of time and your gift of snow?

Weather map from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snow-storm-forecast-maps-winter-weather/; banner image created at Canva.com with my snow photos.

Crystals in Action

Given it is the "Frosty the Snowman" time of year, this video struck my eye. You can watch the creations of crystals from the comfort of home. Maybe it will inspire you to get outside and take advantage of some of the outdoor sights and sounds of the season. 

For more fun facts about snow & ice crystals, check out these links:

• Kids Discover: "It's Snowing. Fun with Crystals"
• Kiddle: Ice Facts for Kids
• Cool Kid Facts: Crystal Facts
• KiwiCo: 5 Amazing Facts You Never Knew About Snow & Ice
• Mental Floss: 15 Blissfully Cool Facts About Ice
• Milwaukee With Kids: 50 Mind-Blowing Facts About Snow For Kids (2024)

Video from Creative Bee's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Bee.Ccreative/videos/1025130916034109/, image from https://pix4free.org/photo/472/winter-branch-ice-crystals-frozen.html

The Beauty of Each Season: Winter

Winter is probably the hardest season for me to be outside. I do love the crackling of the fireplace, the hibernation, and the coziness of blankets or snuggly warm clothing. However, it's the outdoor stuff that's hard for me. I'm not a fan of the cold, the wet, the snow in my boots, the ultimate turn to the slushy mushy mess, and the super dry skin. (The latter, this year, more than ever before!)

I will say, I do find it beautiful to look at though. The glowy bright light illuminating off the snow. The puffy piles of white lying on branches. The swirl of snow as it starts to fall. The stunning color of a bright red cardinal against the world of white. The backyard birds and animals foraging for seed from our feeders. 

Last year, we had a snow drought and basically in our area went over 700 days without snow. While we did see it a year ago Christmas when traveling, here at home it was a long while without snow. Until this past weekend! Mother Nature did her thing and dropped 4 or 5 inches, gifting us even with a ❄️ SNOW DAY!! ❄️ For teachers and kids alike, that announcement elicits a happy dance indeed. It never gets old. It's the ultimate gift. Even better if premeditated the night before. 

Living in a land of 4 distinct seasons, even though the outdoor part is something I have nudge myself out in, the first major snow definitely offers a pause. Especially when combined with the unexpected gift of a snow day and the gift of time, it offers the opportunity to take notice of the beauty that surrounds. Watching my son play with our frolicking dog who finds fascination in eating the white stuff. Taking note of how the world can change by these tiny little flakes that keep coming down. By the way everything changes when this planet crystalizes. 

Yes, there's a lot to learn from the winter and soaking in it's beauty and gift.

Images from https://www.instagram.com/p/C1kI3KKgW8G/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ%3D%3D , other images from my camera compiled with canvas.com

Riding the Line Between Snow And Rain

This past weekend we were trying to time a flexible yet sizable drive based on the weather. It would have us going westward through the mountains of Western Maryland while a weather system was traveling eastbound. 

Mountains and higher elevations tend to complicated life when it comes to potential snow storms, inclines, ice, and road preparedness for all of the above. Add to that the two day window of a weekend, and trying to figure out when it's best to leave and when we definitely want to make sure to be back. Additionally, we knew to expect more rain here, but there was a lot of uncertainty as to to what was between here and our western destination in the middle of all of the above. 

It makes for an interesting juggle, to say the least. Not to mention, it's a lot like Vegas gambling. Try to get there before it all hits? Wait until it all passes? Hope the timetable and the storm doesn't shift in a way that does not serve us! And heaven forbid: no freezing rain or sleet!

There's a lot of unpredictability that exists when riding the line between snow and rain. A few degrees of temperature difference can make all the difference indeed. I think the impact of it all has hit harder as this is really the first winter storm system that was heading our way this year, when the ground at our house has yet to see its first flake in probably 2 years.

All of this lead me to pondering and the land of investigation...and the following videos. Might as well learn a little bit while we were waiting for our travel window to fall in our lap!

Graphic created at canva.com; Videos from https://youtu.be/Ymq1gb4U2Xc?si=Nei8v4Y39Gt8cRXY; https://youtu.be/Cf6El0mI1fM?si=F3OAw7r8EtEKW2ok

Frosty Inspiration from Robert Frost this Winter

My son has a poetry analysis assignment for school. Ahhh, the joys of English Literature.

His assigned piece: a tried and true Robert Frost classic that speaks to the wintery wonderland we've been encountering. In fact it inspired a winter walk a week and a half ago on Valentines' Day and the images in this poetic presentation. A great way to get in a wintery walk and unplug with some of my loved ones.

Poem text from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening, slideshow at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQW71Di9ZwJRLozWahKDVW-N81EB2Jc3mTC62KKvnqCmzIrIqbAwA3i6ErBOl1GQinQu5kHEVip1mGs/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=5000

A Snowy Day

I'm sitting here on a Sunday, watching the snow fall in my backyard. It's our first official "real" snow. We had a dusting a few weeks ago, but nothing really stuck. This one, though, is "real." No blades of green grass peeking through. We have a solid blanket of white out there. It's been coming down steadily all day.  Plus, we have the promise of several more inches to come. 

It's is leaving all my teacher friends (and no doubt our students) texting about tomorrow, wondering if we will have a snow day. Please, pretty please, we ALL say! 

There's something about the hope and promise of a snow day. Whether it's to run and go slip-sliding and sledding outdoors, or whether it's to stay snuggled in on the couch, by the fire, with a good book, the first snow is magical like that. 

In the age of Zoom, remote learning, and the technology to make school happen at home, we all still--teachers and kids alike--still believe in the hope and magic of a snow day.  We hope our administrators who make those big decisions to do too. Please, pretty please!

The world with its silent flakes falling from the sky blankets us with quiet and indoor comfort. It just seems to slow down life a little. More so with a snow day and the gift of time. Across the board, on teacher chat boards and much of the keynotes at the Future of Education Technology Conference I virtually attended last week, "time" seems to be the common denominator these days of what teachers need. It's been a hard year this year with pandemic-style teaching and teachers are tired. We all could use a little gift of time. Please, pretty please, let us have that wintery wonderland gift of all gifts: a snow day, a snow "yay!"

Follow up: Happy to report the decision came down: snow day, snow yay! And boy, was it delicious!

Image created at Canva.com with a photo from my backyard.

Ahh... The Beauty & Gift of a Snow Day

There's something about a snow day. I think the phenomenon holds true for both teachers and students alike. I've not met a teacher or student who doesn't erupt into smiles (and perhaps even a happy dance) when the announcement is made. Even bigger and better: if the announcement is made the night before. We got that little gem this week. I happened to be in an educational meeting with both current and retired teachers at the time the text came through. It was definitely a glee-filled moment as the joy elevated in the room. We love our job (despite the occasional frustrations and challenges), but there is something about a snow day!

It's a multi-faceted gift--first, with the potential to sleep in: teachers--and students--are a tired bunch. That ability to sleep in and luxuriate in bed is certainly a gift! But there's also the gift of the day. An unexpected day off. Unsuspected, unplanned. This surprise does wonders for the body, soul, and spirit!

It's a slowing down of life. You find yourself mesmerized in the meditative moment of just simply watching the snow fall. You catch yourself noticing the changes, especially over the course of a lengthy snowfall. The tree branches become blanketed in the winter white, and the whole world transforms into this whole new place.

It even sounds different as the snow muffles the typical street-sounds (which might be non-existent with buried roads). The world just seems to be hunkering in.

There's a beauty to the birds at the feeder, the untouched yard of snow before anyone gets out and traipses all over it. There's even the pups that spring out to frolic outside, wondering what on earth happened to the world just over night. It must feel magical to those crazy canines!

It's a fireplace, pajama, blanket-and-movies, curl-up-with-a-good book, hot-chocolate kind of day.

The shoveling will come eventually, as might the sled runs and snowmen, but at first, the world just sort of slows down. Even if the teacher's plate ultimately gets filled with grading papers on the couch or writing report cards (some of which I know my teacher friends will be doing), there's still the gift of time. An extra day you didn't expect, where you are free from your classroom obligations of lesson plans and learning, carpool or lunch duty, and all the other energetic elements of your class. Permission to burrow in, enjoy the warmth of your tea or coffee, and just "be" in a way that busy-ness doesn't always allow.

It causes you to take pause and watch as nature frolics in nature... and the sum total of it all brings a smile to your face.

THAT certainly is a gift.


Images from my camera from my snow day gift this week!

Let it Snow: The Science of Real Snowflakes

Back in December, I wrote a post about the magical making of Faux Snow.

Today, we dive deep into the blizzard of information about the real stuff that makes up our Winter Wonderlands!

There's an amazing microscopic detail to snowflakes... and Crystallography is an actual science! A great place to learn a little more about it is from Kiddle, the Kids' Encyclopedia. (Which is a wonderful new school tool too!)



The video below shows how these crystallized minis form at the molecular level. (As a literal aside... there are a multitude of other videos on the YouTube right hand sidebar on this page for those of you who just can't get enough!) It also details how over 80+ years, we've gone from being able to identify 21 classifications of 121 different types!



For more on the science & beauty of snowflakes, check out the following resources as you marvel about these miniature works of art the next time it snows:

• Winter-Themed Resources from the NEA for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12

• Jacqueline Briggs Martin's book "Snowflake Bentley" (detailing the history of the man who first photographed snowflakes in the 1920s, snapping over 5000 snowflakes--never once finding a duplicate.

• Jaqueline Briggs Martin's book website page.

• The Official Snowflake Bentley Website

• "The Snowflake Man" (A Short Film About Snowflake Bentley)

• ReadWriteThink's lesson plan for using "Snowflake Bentley" as a Framing Text for Multigenre Writing

• Activities for the book "Snowflake Bentley" from The HomeSchoolMom

All 3 macro photos of snowflakes from Alexey Kljatov, found at https://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/macro-photos-snowflakes-show-impossibly-perfect-designs.html Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=-6zr2eLpduI, The book Snowflake Bentley was purposely put in quotes above to not have it compete visually with the added links. Snowflake Bentley book image from https://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-Bentley-Jacqueline-Briggs-Martin/dp/0547248296

Let it Snow... Faux Snow!

 The other day we had one of those Hallmark Christmas movie snows. But
it was real! Big flakes coming down, landing on you, dotting your sweater with lasting white polka-dots. Best part too... it was quite mild out and you could really be out with just a sweater or light coat.

For a minute I thought I was in Christmas, Montana... Evergreen, Vermont... or wherever it is that Hallmark/Lifetime movies take place.

But I was really and truly in my own Hometown, USA... where the snow was real, and Hallmark Christmas movies are a staple of the season here at our house, especially during present wrapping time. 'Tis the season for that!

Unfortunately, when you are generating fake snow for a movie, it's a little less ice crystal & a lot more fabrication.

To find yourself slipping down a collection of faux-snow and see the ins and outs of all that artificial white stuff, check out the links below:

• A history of 7 classic snow-produced scenes in movies.

• The Chinese "Christmas Village" of Yiwu, where 600 factories make about 60% of the flocked Christmas decorations. (Spoiler alert: It's not a feel good read.)

• There's always the eco-friendly company Snowcel, where you can buy your own, ready-made.

• Apparently, "Snowbusiness" is a "world leader in snow and winter effects" (according to their webpage).  They have been in the faux snow business for 30+ years and have the ability to make 200 different kinds of pseudo snow. (Who knew there were that many!!) Paper and plastics seem to be the heart of the materials, along with some micro fireworks that create a "snowy ash"

• CGI is always there for the win as well... as this video shows.

• Then there's always this (shhh... no spoilers)!

Hopefully this season ahead, you find some real snow to make yourself holly, jolly, merry and bright!

Images from https://www.dafont.com/faux-snow.font (Illustration © Ænigma); http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/video-these-microbes-are-key-making-artificial-snow; https://www.balsamhill.com/how-to-flock-an-artificial-christmas-tree.

videos from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4e9i0sCX7c and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Q87WniJYE&feature=youtu.be