10 Snow Activities At Little or NO Cost

Living in Nashville, I have certainly seen my share of winter freak outs by nearly everyone.  Whether it's a trip to the store to buy out all the milk and bread, school closures at the mention of snow possibilities, abandoned cars on the interstate when the snow is approximately half way up the soles of my shoes, or non stop news coverage on the pending doom, you can count on Nashville to overreact.  I grew up in the mountains where school was not closed until there was the threat of more than a foot of snow and there had to be at least six inches actually on the ground before the call was made.  Nevertheless, I write this to say I wish people would freak out about how much fun they can have in a snow storm.  The possibilities are endless.  Yes, most options consist of braving the cold but the bet part is that most of it lacks is cost.  Here are 10 things you should do when the snow continues falling:


1. Sledding
If you don't already own one, make a sled.  Look around the house and see if you have any of the following and you've got yourself a grade A sled at no cost: cardboard (may only last a few runs), old satellite dishes, a washing machine lid (recommended for small children so you don't lose the functionality of it), storage tote lids, garbage can lids, plastic laundry baskets and even the top lid of a toilet seat.  Find a good hill and you now have hours of free fun.


2. Make A Snowman
Shape a handful of snow into a small snowball, lay on the ground and roll away from you to accumulate more snow until it's the size you want, pack in a little extra snow when stacking the sections together to help them stick, search through your house and in the refrigerator to find some good accessories (a knit cap won't fly away as easily as some others).
     
3. Have A Snowball Fight
Fights are usually more fun when you have enough people to create teams.  Wrestling should be permitted (it will happen anyway).  Make sure to wear good gloves and cover your ears and neck so you can actually last more than 3 minutes. 


4. Take Pictures 
Grab your camera and take a walk.  You'll discover nature, light, people, and life through your lens in a new way.


5. Rent A Movie 
Build a fire or turn down the heat 5 degrees and grab all the blankets around.  Curl up on the couch with your dog or family and make some popcorn.  Now is your time to catch up your pop culture or finally watch all those episodes of "The Godfather" Trilogy. 


6. Make A Snow Angel
There are so many ways to snow stamp but the most common is the snow angel.  If you've never made one, please let me describe how simple it can be.  a)Carefully find a spot of untouched snow, b)with legs shoulder width apart, stand tall and fall straight onto your back with arms slightly out to the side, c) move legs and arms in 30 degree arcs a few times while still in contact with snow, d)CAREFULLY stand as not to disturb your angel.

7.  Snowcones
Almost every refrigerator or freezer has some juice. So, grab a cup, find some fresh snow (be sure to steer clear of the yellow kind), pack it and fill with juice.


8. Board Games
Enjoy some family time and play some board games.  If the lights go out, find some candles and put them in the middle of the board.  (the power was once out for 3 days when I was in high school.  We played Monopoly for all of them.)


9. Make Snow Ice Cream:
1 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
clean snow
Beat egg; add milk, sugar and salt. Mix together well. Add enough snow to make it thick.



10. Maple Taffy on Snow
Boil pure maple syrup to 122 C or 252 F. Drizzle on well-packed snow. Make sure it is cool before licking. (It is essential that pure maple syrup be used and not any other maple-flavored syrup).

Have Fun!!!  No matter what you decide to do, if you do go out and actually drive, please drive slowly.  I would venture to say that speed is the cause of 90% of all accidents in the snow.  




Fun facts about Nashville:
Lowest temperature: -17, January 21, 1985

Most snowfall, 24 hours: 17.0", March 17, 1892