Monday I took the kids for a cross country ski out at the golf course. There is plenty of snow and I've been feeling a bit guilty about not taking the kids cross country skiing more often this winter. I'm worried they will never learn or like to cross country ski. The fact of the matter is that it is a lot of work to get the kids all gussied up in their ski gear and then they usually only want to ski for 10 minutes or so. It is often easier just to go sledding.
However, on Monday afternoon I tried something different. The kids set off on their skiis and were having fun, but I decided to try something new. We'd go exploring and visiting. The last few days the kids had been playing 'tree house' in the backyard so I thought I'd employ the same sort of game on skiis at the golf course. So I pointed out a tree in the distance and said, 'let's go visit Mr Otter.'
The kids loved it! We got to Mr. Otter's house and I pretended I was Mr. Otter and gave them each a snow cone (snowball). And then off we went to see Mrs Beaver, Mr Rat (only rotten cabbage to offer), Mrs Weasel, Mr Muskrat, Gump the man who watches Santa's house on Kodiak (and who fed us oats), nasty Mr Wolverine who would not give us anything to eat, Bruno the Brown bear, and finally Nanook the Polar bear. We went from tree to tree all over the golf course and even when the wind picked up and it started to snow the kids did not want to stop. It ended up as their longest ski to date by far.
I guess the take away message is that I should not worry or stress about them learning to cross country ski and just take them exploring a bit more often (but on skiis of course). Patrick
1 comment:
Play all kinds of games on skis with them-tag, whiffle ball, soccer-with one ski on and one off. Get them skiing without them knowing they are skiing. Make duck tracks in the snow - and you'll be teaching them how to herringbone up a hill. Get it?
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