Thursday, December 27, 2012

Lessons from Sledding

We finally have just barely enough snow to go sledding at our house. I know the snowfall varied around the Michiana area. I like sledding, but it seems like I've had a toddler or infant during sledding season which makes it more difficult to be out for too long. I'm determined to find ways to get out in winter this year, though.



This is our second winter in this house. Last year, we were still doing renovations and moving in around this time of year so we didn't get out as much. Today, the boys wanted to try out a new sled they got for Christmas. I helped pull out all our winter clothes. We had to see what still fit the boys. I realized I stashed bigger snow pants I bought on clearance last year. Glad I didn't buy new ones again!


We're lucky there is a small hill at the church across the street from our house. They've always been friendly and open to the kids playing on the playground and such. It was nice to get the boys started for a few minutes and then get back to the baby inside quickly. 



This cute guy didn't last as long as his brothers so he came inside when he was done. I was able to peek outside and see what was up when needed. The older boys kept going and going! It looked like they were having lots of fun.




A scooter in the snow? That's how these boys roll!

When the boys came in, I asked them what they learned about nature while outside. This is what they said:

“I made a snowball.”
--age 3 (guess he's still experiencing things)

“It’s better to go on ice than water. You’d just sink in water. You would slide on ice.”
--age 6 (properties of water)

“It’s really important to go sledding in nature, because if you do it on stairs you’ll just get hurt.”
--age 6 (I remember pushing kids down stairs in boxes as a child) 

“It’s really dangerous to go sledding with my brother, especially when he falls off. “
--age 6 (There is risk in nature--working on a post on this!)

“It’s better to go sledding on snow than grass. Snow makes you go faster than grass.”
--age 8 (yep!)

“It’s easier to sled on snow that has already been sledded on than fresh snow.”
                                                            --age 8 (Physics anyone?)




So, a few questions for you all . . . 

How do you all handle all the hats, pants, boots, gloves, scarves, etc. and make sure everyone stays warm without having water puddles in your house the rest of the day? 

How do you go sledding with various ages that might not be able to last as long outside? What do you with your infants when you're with bigger kids? 

Where are your favorite places to sled in the Michiana area? 

Feel free to leave your two cents on Facebook, too. I'm determined to figure this out this year!