Snow Day in Chogoria

Despite what the calendar says, I hear that Spring has not yet sprung in parts of the Northland.  From over here in the Land of Eternal Spring, I fully understand what people are pining for.

However, I am a Midwest girl through and through, and I love me a good Snow Day.  In January, as a blizzard swept through parts of the Midwest and we heard of school closings and all the regular fuss that goes with enormous amounts of snow in a short timespan, we finally inaugurated a new tradition over here: Snow Day in Chogoria.

This is not my own idea.  I stole it from the Tenwek community when we lived there.  Since it's such a fabulous tradition and the kids look forward to it so much every year, I knew we had to bring it to Chogoria.

It was a Friday and we gathered the kids in the morning to make an announcement from the mamas: "Today is a Snow Day!  School is cancelled!"  I wish we would've thought to record their reactions.  It was priceless!

We told them to meet in the Webbers' backyard with swimsuits on.  Their curiosity was piqued.

First up: fake snow and a snow-themed read-a-loud.  Grandma Horn has always kept us well-stocked with fake snow, which we use at Christmas time.  She doesn't want these Duluth-born babies to forget winter!  So we had plenty to share and the kids were fascinated by it.  It really is impressive how it turns out.

Next up: a slip 'n slide!  This was our dry season version of sledding.  It's hot here in January, so this was the perfect activity to have fun and stay cool.  The kids were a bit hesitant at first, and I realized that most of them had never done a slip 'n slide before and didn't even know what to do.  But eventually their courage grew until we had to force them to quit by the end.

The slip 'n slide was followed by a water balloon toss.  Because why not?

We finished the morning with snow cones courtesy of Lauren who thought to bring over flavored syrup from America and who also has an ice crusher.  I had forgotten how good a snow cone is!  And what childlike wonder a snow cone represents.

We sent everybody home for lunch, then regrouped for a viewing of Frozen with hot chocolate and treats.  The day was a huge success and I don't doubt these kids will all be looking forward to continuing the tradition next year!