Where did the snow balls go?

By

Jeanne Perciaccanto

Ultimate Dog Training

Snow brings out the child in all of us.  I’m not sure if it directly relates to those coveted snow days when school would be closed or the games as kids we could only play in the snow.

Preparation was an important part of the process and getting a new Flexible Flyer sled for Christmas made the wait unbearable. Carefully waxing the running blades of the sled with Butcher Wax to be sure no sticking and the fastest run possible would happen was part of the pre-game plan.

Grabbing our sleds and meeting up with friends all heading up to the local grade school with the best hill top for a day of what seemed like the closest thing to flying we could create while still connected to the earth.  Without necessity of traffic laws, direction on how to, nor parental guidance, we had fun, got wet, slipped and fell a bunch of times and learned to use our own best judgment. 

We would try crazy things such as standing on our sleds and doing our best to remain on them flying down hill with our arms outstretched for balance with little directional control long before snowboarding was invented. 

Grabbing onto the runner of a sled in front of us to build a sled train which often resulted in a major pile up at the bottom of the hill but the last sled had a wild ride!

Building snow packed ramps to simulate flight; we often went up and over landing in a heap on the other side. We loved it! 

Play challenged us to challenge ourselves.  This taught us to work well with others to accomplish group goals of play. We got some bumps and bruises; heading home wet and cold to a cup of hot chocolate and cookies our Mothers had waiting for us after getting in warm jammies which made for wonderful end to an active day!

We learned by trial and error how to control our environment.  We tested our own boundaries and limitations based on feel and intuition for what the desired outcome would bring us. What brought us joy or what resulted in bruises became a balancing act in achieving one and not the other but we accepted the bruises as part of learning.

As a group we designed our own rules of play.  Those breaking the rules were ostracized from the group and not sought out to play again. Punishment was having no friends.  The rules were simple.  No icy snow balls in “capture the fort” and quarter was given to those who said “Uncle!” No using your sled to run into others on the hill and walking areas were sacrosanct and out of bounds from where a sled could go.  No picking on or bullying the younger kids, giving them ample room ride.  The rules worked.

When we moved from the hill to the street we learned to trust and be trusted by others with our very lives.  Heading down the top of one street, riding across a main road to continue on down the next road, we waited for and trusted those standing on the main road to say “Go” when no cars were coming.  If they were wrong, we were dead.

Being in the snow was the reward.  Whether building snow forts for the inevitable snowball fight or making snow angles and snow men on the front lawn, a snow day was always a gift from the Heavens for kids to enjoy.  Only kids could take frozen water and create a magical world out of it.  In that world of magic, we learned to find our own balance and learn future valuable life lessons.  The rules we live by today, we learned in play.