Today is our first day back from winter break, but we are all eagerly checking our weather apps because we see predictions of snow for the weekend. We hope we will not miss any school days for the snow, but we know that sometimes our whole lives are disrupted by a little snow. Whenever we miss a day (or days) of school for snow or can't go outside for recess because the temperature is too low, I am reminded of one of my favorite nonfiction books in our library, Recess at 20 Below.
This book takes us to a classroom in Alaska where students always go to school when there is snow around and can go out to recess as long as it is no colder than 20 degrees below zero! I was surprised to learn why these students can't have good snowball fights and why seesaws and swings pose their own problems as the snow piles up during the winter. When I read Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Lou Aillaud, I gained a new understanding of how life can be different in Alaska. At the same time, I decided that I really like living in North Carolina where we can look forward to the occasional snow storm.
