Winterizing, part 1

Ever since I (finally) got the solstice tree down and dragged it out back to the woods last week, I've had a burst of home-focused energy. I keep feeling tempted to call it "Spring cleaning," but I guess that would be silly seeing as we're still in the baby days of Winter. I sometimes have the urge to see the Winter Solstice as the beginning and the end of Winter all at once, and I can get impatient for Spring much too soon. Maybe by doing my Spring cleaning early, Spring will follow suit and actually arrive early. Maybe. But really, what I've been doing does not exactly qualify as Spring cleaning. Spring cleaning is about opening the windows and airing everything out. And we are certainly not opening our windows anytime soon (even if we wanted to we wouldn't be able to since they're frozen shut). Upon further reflection, I've realized that my goal in working on the house for the past several days has been to make our home cozier, more colorful, and more entertaining as we settle in for the long haul of Winter (which realistically, will probably last another three months). I've been moving furniture around, hanging things on the walls, and seeing our little house in a whole new, Winter light. I haven't been Spring-cleaning at all; I've been Winterizing.


Today Zeb and I decided to Winterize the process table. In the summer, the process table was a much-loved water table out in our old backyard and then on our little deck after we moved. In the fall, we collected chestnuts, brought the process table inside and filled it with over a hundred of the silky smooth woody balls. The kids played with the chestnuts for a few weeks, but for the past couple of months the nuts have been left alone to shrivel, mold and collect dust. It was well past time to think of something new for the kids to process. But what? I theorized for a few days about which substance would best represent winter (rice? pasta? beans?) before realizing . . . duh . . . snow! So this morning Zeb and I cleared out the chestnuts (he is such a good helper lately), washed out the table, and filled it with powdery, white, freezing cold snow.


Zeb was beside himself with excitement. Bringing snow into the house? Getting to put his "guys" in the snow? Digging in the snow with a shovel? All of this while barefoot? Bring it on!



Zeben played with the snow for hours, studying it, moving it around, and using it to bury his guys. "Oh no, pole-der bear! Where are you pole-der bear? Here you are! I found the pole-der bear! Kangaroo! Where's mine kangaroo? Kangaroo, are you hiding, kangaroo? Are you hiding in the snow?"

When he's playing with the snow outside (when it's warm enough to be outside), it's very much a gross motor experience for him: slipping and climbing and falling and sliding. So I think he really enjoyed the opportunity to have a calm, focused, fine-motor experience with the snow.


12 hours later, the snow in the table is almost completely melted. But there's plenty more where it came from, and I have a pretty good idea of what 3 barefoot boys in pajamas are going to be doing first thing tomorrow morning. Wearing mittens, of course.