Above and Below the Snow

Something that I believe is amazing in and of itself is snow. Snow is amazing; it isn’t solid like ice or the ground, it isn’t liquid like rain. It’s a beautiful in-between that turns everything it covers to appearing pristine and cold. Children don’t see it like that, of course. They see a way to see footprints, make snow forts, snow angels, snowmen, snowballs, and so much more. But this week they learned something else that is around the snow. Teachers have a magical way of making everyday things seem amazing. They can read a book or do an activity and change the perspective of an entire classroom; this Wednesday was a day like that. 

Taylor, the primary preschool teacher, sat the kids down on the carpet and asked them about the snow. What it felt like, how it smelled, why and when it happens, and more. But then she brought up another aspect; animals. Where do the animals go when it snows? Do they all go away or do some stay? She proceeded to read a book that showed both above and below the snow. Above the snow had people and trees and birds; below the snow, where kids don’t think to look, there are also many animals. Bears in caves, mice and rats burrowed into the ground, rabbits deep in their holes.  

You could see the way the children were thinking as Taylor read. Questions like “how do I know where the underground animals are” swam across their faces. After the book was over, Taylor asked them that question, and mentioned that at any moment, you could be standing on top of an animal that is buried deep underground. I watched during recess as the children ran across the snow; a couple of them seemed to look down at it like they had x-ray vision and could see straight through it. I could tell that they were thinking about the book, but I wondered what questions they were thinking. Looking down at the snow, I came up with a few myself, and now I don’t think I will be able to walk over the snow without thinking about what is both above and below it.