Posts filed under ‘Winter Activities’
Downhill or Bust: Lessons from the Ski Slope
Some kids like speed.
Kids love to go downhill.
They like the speed.
They like the thrill.
I even think that some of them like wiping out.
Speed freaks ignore cries of “slow down.”
“Snow plowing is bogus,” said Gavin, and nothing I could say would change that.
Never mind that Gavin is a first time skier and that the hill at Blackhawk Ridge doesn’t have obstacles or turns.
So how do you teach a kid like Gavin to slow down?
You don’t.
Mud Season… the Joys of March
Mud happens.
Snow happens.
So does rain, sleet and some gloriously warm days.
Today we had both.
The day started sunny and warm and ended with a biting wind and sleet.
It’s a crazy weather month punctuated by Madison spring rituals like The Garden Show, Canoecopia, Bike-o-Rama and high school basketball tournaments.
It’s a month where I break out the mud boots and think, if but for a moment, about putting away the Sorels.
It’s a month at the cusp, full of weather surprises and the end of winter clubs.
What goes down must come up: Life lessons learned while skiing
What goes down...
Learning to ski is a humbling experience.
Fall, get up. Fall, get up.
Poles and skis slip and slide and get tangled up in the weirdest of ways.
That’s pretty much how it goes for first-timers,
especially as they learn to maneuver hills.
I can’t think of a better metaphor for life.
If kids can get past the initial frustrations, they learn so much. That’s why we ask kids to make an 8-week commitment to ski club. That way, they have to work through their frustration. The end result is always a joyful celebration on the last day.
In the mean time, there’s more agony of defeat than the thrill of victory, but the victory is so very sweet.
Check out these photos from this week’s lesson at Black Hawk Ski Club. They really do say it all.
From warming hut to Prairie-style palace: Tenney Park Shelter
Story and photos by Di
ane Schwartz on Thursday 01/26/2012, Isthmus Newspaper
- The Tenney Park lagoon is frequently called Madison’s prettiest place to skate. Shaped like an uneven horseshoe, surrounded by trees and crossed by graceful arched bridges, it’s a setting reminiscent of a Currier and Ives painting. But until recently, the warming shelter was a dark and gloomy no-frills building built in 1958 and beginning to decay.
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All eyes on the eagles: Eagle Days 2012
Cashel Nelson, 8, looks through a scope at the eagle overlook in Prairie du Sac during Bald Eagle Watching Days 2010 while his friend from Madison's Goodman Community Center Qarly Haywood, 8, awaits her turn.By Jeremiah Tucker, Sauk Prairie Eagle.
Randy Jurewicz, a retired biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, helped organize the first official Eagle Watching Days in Sauk Prairie 25 years ago. The event, he said, grew out of a national census of eagles organized by the National Wildlife Federation.
A flash of white: Bald eagles soar just in time for Eagle Days
A bald eagle soars over the bluffs at the Spring Green Conservancy. Even at a distance, the birds are magnificent.
Flash of white. Check.
Huge wing span. Check.
Yes, it’s eagle spotting time in southern Wisconsin.
“Quit while they’re still kicking” or when to know it’s time to leave
Learning to skate with walkers helps kids gain confidence.
One of the best pieces of teaching advice I ever got was ”Quit while they’re still kicking.”
At first, I didn’t get it.
Why quit if the kids are still having fun?
Turns out, there’s an art to knowing when to end an activity.
Here’s a case in point.
I went skating on Monday with my 5- and 6-year-old nieces and their mother at Hartmeyer Ice Arena. It was the girls’ first time on skates and I thought they did really well.
They used walkers at first and then graduated to skating on their own. Sure, they fell down a lot, but they seemed to enjoy it…at first. After about an hour of skating, the novelty wore off and they grew tired of falling.
Tears came shortly thereafter. I suggested to their mother that it may be time to leave, but the girls objected. They stayed a bit longer and the whining increased as the kids grew more and more tired. Then, they wanted to go.
While it is very difficult to leave while kids are still having fun, I find that it’s always better to leave them wanting more. Forty-five minutes to an hour is plenty for a first time activity. Then, the next time, they’ll be excited to go again.
Let me know how you decide when enough is enough.
Going Inside to get Outside? Indoor Skating at Hartmeyer Arena
Skating is a favorite winter sport, but this year, we have no ice.
Balmy temperatures means families must go inside to enjoy this great holiday activity.
Thankfully, Hartmeyer Ice Arena offers public skating on two days:
- Monday, December 26 from noon-2 pm or
- Friday, December 30 from 2-4 pm
Admission is just $4 for adults and $3 for kids.
Skate rentals are $2.
I’ll be there for fun on Monday and for work on Friday, when I’m offering childcare for families. Click this link for more information or email me to register. Just drop your kids (1st-5th grade only) off. Cost is $26 and includes skates, admission and apple snack or $24 if you bring your own skates.
This is a great activity for families on a budget and lots of fun.
Hope to see you there. I’ll be the one in the red fleece jacket.
Kids learn to enjoy winter at Indian Lake County Park
Even without snow, the kids made use of the sledding hill.
Lou and his mother didn’t look too happy as we gathered at 9 a.m. on a cold, December morning for a trip to Indian Lake County Park.
“I had my doubts,” mom admitted. But she showed up anyway along with 30 others. At the end of the day, they were all smiles and glad they came.
Despite the lack of snow and 10 degree temps, the kids found lots of ways to stay warm and have fun. Plus, Indian Lake is a drop-dead gorgeous park. The sunny, blue skies formed a perfect back drop for limitless outdoor fun:
- Kids ran, slid and rolled down a frost covered sledding hill.
- Kids played on a huge pile of wood. They turned the wood pile into a fort, a mountain or just a neat place to climb. They killed off space aliens, played soldier games and lots more.
- Kids played with sticks, the best toys ever.
- Kids examined beautiful frost crystals that coated the ground.
Sticks are the best toys ever. Note the lack of mittens.
- Kids helped build a fire.
- Kids played football and kicked around a ball.
- Kids hiked up the hill to see a historic chapel.
- Kids ate hot dogs and hot chocolate.
But mostly, the kids learned that sometimes it’s important to get up and go even if it’s cold. Parents set the example. Unfortunately, about 15 kids missed out because their parents cancelled.
We forget how warm kids get when they run around. No matter how many times we asked kids to put their hats on, most didn’t listen and took them off anyway. Go figure. Kids just don’t react to cold the same way as adults.
Winter is a great time to get outside. It’s important to help parents and kids learn how to enjoy the winter.
How do you respond to fears about cold weather?
Playing football in the morning sun. Again, no mittens. Are they crazy?
Indian Lake County Park with 60 people
Will be taking more than 60 kids and parents to Indian Lake County Park for some hiking tomorrow morning. It will be cold and sunny. I’m actually more concerned about the parents than the kids. I’ll let you know how it goes.
