The Magic of a Snowy Day

snowy day
This week Mother Nature gifted us with something magical- our first real snow of the year. While most adults were busy worrying about the road conditions and other mundane details, children everywhere were enamored by all the sparkling snow.

Our Camp Ironwood kids were no exception. After sledding for the first part of the day, we made the trek down the hill to camp. Almost immediately kids and teens organized themselves into an hour long snowball fight. Some kids created a snow ball shop to keep the troops supplied, others organized teams and laid out the rules. Every few minutes one or two of them would emerge from the woods, rosy cheeked and smiling from ear to ear.

It’s hard to explain the sheer wonder of being immersed in nature with a bunch of snow-loving kids. After the snowball fight wound down, we sat by a campfire where kids came a few at a time to dry their gloves, warm their hands or cook some food. They chatted easily about what they ate for thanksgiving or what they’ve been reading, watching or thinking about. Then they disappeared back into the snowy woods to make snowmen, build snow forts and make giant snowballs.

In his book Last Child In The Woods Richard Louve says, “Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses...In nature a child finds freedom, fantasy and privacy...” Rarely is this full sensory experience more vivid than on days when our familiar landscapes are covered by a layer of fresh snow.
On days like these we reap the benefits of creating routines that connect us to the natural world. We see how building culture of kindness, and respect paves the way for immersive, cooperative play. On days like these we feel deeply and joyfully alive.

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