Recently, we have had a lot of snow! I think snow is the coolest part of our earth’s water cycle (pun intended). Did you know that a single snowflake takes a whole hour to float down from the clouds, and that same snowflake starts as ice crystal formed around a speck of dust, soil, salt, or pollen?  Picture this: a dirty cloud produces that white blanket of beautifulness!  Did you know that snow isn’t even white?  It’s translucent! The sun’s reflection causes it to appear white. 

No matter what, snow brings the kid out in all of us when the grown up stuff has been taken care of… driving, shoveling, and finding those elusive mittens.  Snowball fights, snow people making, sledding, snow angels and the warming up process (cocoa, blankets and books) all add to the excitement and fun.

I WONDER…

I WONDER… how many snow jokes you can memorize and tell.  These are two of my favorites:

What did one snowman say to another snowman? Answer: Do you smell carrots?

What is a toasty warm snowman called? Answer: Water

I WONDER… how your parents played in the snow when they were young.  Ask them and maybe the next time it snows you can play how they did!

When I was a little girl growing up in Pennsylvania, my brother and I would make paths in our backyard.  This was serious work that took hours to complete. Our first real job was to sequester the backyard to keep out random footsteps from our parents or the neighborhood kids. Second was the road building. The roads connected and wound around our entire back yard like a finely engineered maze.  Of course Eric was three years older than me, so he was the road developer and I was the paver. Third step: Run, chase, play!  

I WONDER… if you can play catch with snowballs or even learn to juggle with them! Watch my son, Ethan, try.

I WONDER… if Ethan can juggle giant snowballs! Make a prediction.

I WONDER… if you can collect snowflakes and analyze their designs and shapes.  Just stand outside in the snow with a dark piece of paper or cloth, wait until a snowflake falls onto it, and examine the 6 sided creation before it melts away!

I WONDER… if you are planning to come out to the Children’s Museum next Thursday, January 13th at 10:30am for a free bilingual story-time with admission to the museum. Our Family Engagement Manager, Ali, will be reading “The Mitten” by Jan Brett, and sharing a fun art and movement activity in the Playhouse exhibit. No sign-up is required.

I hope your snow days are filled with wonderment this winter, and hope you will visit us soon at the Children’s Museum!

Sincerely,

Pamela (Museum Educator) and my sons