How to Spend a Snow Day
by Rose Alexander
Snow day: the words most students spend the entire winter longing to hear, when the inclement
winter weather offers a chance for an unexpected break. It’s now up to you to decide how to spend
your precious leisure hours. Here are a few ideas!
Go sledding: If there’s enough snow on
the ground for a snow day, then there’s
probably enough for some prime sledding.
Whether it’s a GT Snowracer or a Magic
Carpet, grab your favorite sled and head
out to the local hill. If you’re lucky, there’s
one nearby. If you’re luckier, your parents
will agree to drive you out to the best spot.
Sledding is a blast, but it’s also fantastic
exercise to lug sleds, especially the heavy
ones, back up the hill. Make sure you wear
layers, though. It’s easy to get overheated
from the physical exertion when you’re
bundled up in heavy clothes.
Build a fort: Fort-building is one of my
favorite winter memories. We had a
climber in our backyard with an upper and
lower level, and all winter we’d pile up the
snow from our driveway beside it until
the pile was four or five feet high. Then,
around January, we’d start hollowing out
the frozen snow pile. Once we made our
way inside, we’d carve out the doorway
down to the lower level of the climber. It
was all very elaborate, and, in the end,
we ended up with a fort my dad could fit
inside. Lined with a few old blankets, it was
actually pretty warm, and a great place to
plan snowball fights.
Make a snowman: Or any snow sculpture, really. In addition to his fort-building skills, my dad once built a snow dragon that was the envy of all the neighborhood kids (at least until the next thaw). You could go for the traditional look, with three big snowballs for a body and a carrot for a nose, but if you’ve ever read Calvin and
Hobbes, you know that this is also a great time to show off your creativity.
Of course, when you’re done playing outside, there’s nothing better than curling up by the fire with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. Stay warm out there and enjoy your day off!
