Submitted by the Preschool 3 Team
When adults are asked to recall joyful childhood memories, they often think of being outdoors enjoying nature’s gifts.
When we bring our preschool 3 students outside, we frequently get to see that joy in its full form and what exhilaration and delight we saw recently, when the children first played in the fresh, deep snow!
The play area behind our classroom was naturally transformed for the children by what was left from the blizzard’s path; familiar structures had disappeared under the drifts, and there were huge mounds of snow, a result of the clearing of pathways, to climb.
Children felt happy and powerful, standing on top and seeing they could be as tall as their teachers. The following day we went to the red playground, and that, too, had been transformed. It turns out the curving slide, when damp with melting snow, is twice as fast!
Children slid quickly down in their snow gear, shot out at the bottom onto soft snow, and laughed hysterically. The little stage near the stairs could be approached only by climbing a small mountain of snow which could then be used as a natural slide.
The children were remarkably patient with the process of putting on and taking off snow pants, boots, hats, and special mittens. They knew it was worth the effort, and we agreed with them.
