It's not really a snow day until you go play

There’s one essential component to a fun snow day — getting out to play in the snow.

Jill Pickett

Sled riders enjoy a January snow in Hardin County.

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Jill Pickett

Payton Shaker, left, and J.J. Millin build a snowman in February 2010 in Elizabethtown.

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Jill Pickett

Kobie Long from left, Micah Green and Julian Corley have snow fight in a February 2010 snow in Radcliff.

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Neal Cardin

Kids build a snow fort in a February 2010 snow.

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Outdoor fun can go beyond making a snow man, although it is a must. Some stores now sell snowman making kits that help make the perfect snowman. You can also build a snow man old-school style with a carrot from the fridge and some hats, buttons and scarves found in the house.

Many people also build igloos, snow forts or, if you are a Superman fan, a Fortress of Solitude.

Disney’s “Family Fun” magazine has a few fortress building tips.

• To build cornerstones use kitchen buckets, small wastebaskets or plastic ice-cream containers to mold the snow.
• For rectangle brick molds used in building walls cute the tops off milk jugs or use aluminum loaf pans.
• To craft windows experiment with gelatin molds or bunt-cake pans.
• For building towers, remove the top portions of plastic soda bottles for the round mold.
• To make the spires, plug the end of a funnel with clay.
• For smaller additives to the fort use ice cup trays, egg cartons or muffin tins.

The magazine also suggests spraying water on the surfaces that will be joined together to hold the blocks in place as they freeze together. To add color mix water and food coloring and put in a spray bottle to “paint.”

But on a snow day, nothing beats sledding.

Everyone can’t sled Clark W. Griswold style but most people enjoy a nice ride down a proper hill on a snowy day.

Whenever you find a good sledding hill make sure you get the property or business owner’s permission to use the hill.

Some local residents have preferred sledding methods and locations. While these might be some local favorites, always make sure to sled safely and follow recommended safety tips for sledding. Sometimes our favorite sledding mechanisms are not the safest idea. The ideas mentioned here are not meant to be attempted. Just ask Griswold.

Jennifer Fulkerson likes sledding on an inner tube. Her friend’s house has a great hill for sledding.

Tracy Wilson likes getting the cheap plastic disks from a discount store and goes sledding at the Freeman Lake dam or the slope behind Severns Valley Baptist Church.

Crystal Moseley likes to go sledding in her front yard.

“Our house sets on top of a great hill to sled on,” she said.

For a large group, she recommends sledding on the hood of an old car. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend a car hood for sledding.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741.

Outdoor play safety tips:

One concern is frostbite. Karen Blaiklock, community and industry education manager at Hardin Memorial Hospital, offered tips to avoid and recognize frostbite.

• Frostbite happens when you are exposed to extreme cold and you might not be aware of the damage at first.
• When the wind is blowing along with the bitter cold, frostbite is most dangerous.
• Make sure all extremities are kept covered and warm — ears, nose, cheeks, toes and fingers.
• The first sign is a reddening of the skin and can turn white, grey or yellow. It can also blister.
• To avoid getting frostbite dress warm, stay dry and don’t stay out in extreme cold very long. Wiggle your toes and fingers and if they start to tingle or burn it’s time to go inside and warm up.
• Check with a doctor before treating frostbite.
• Whenever out in the cold make sure someone knows where you are going, when you’re expected back and to bring an extra pair of dry clothes.

For sledding, the American Academy of Pediatrics has some safety tips.

• Keep sledders away from motor vehicles.
• Children should be supervised.
• Keep young children separated from older children.
• Sledding feet first or sitting up, instead of lying down head-first, can prevent head injuries.
• Consider helmets while sledding.
• Use steerable sleds, not snow disks, inner tubes or other materials.
• Sleds should be structurally sound and free of sharp edges and splinters and the steering mechanism should be well lubricated.
• Sled slopes should be free of obstructions such as trees or fences, be covered in snow not ice, not be too steep (slope of less than 30 degrees) and end with a flat runoff.
• Avoid sledding in crowded areas.

The AAP has more tips for staying warm. Without the proper clothing a sledding outing could result in hypothermia.

• Make sure to layer up with several thick layers to stay dry and warm. (Thermal long johns, turtlenecks, one or two shirts, pants, sweater, coat, warm socks, boots, gloves and a hat)
• Scarves and clothing with draw strings could be dangerous because they can get caught on things.
• Dress infants and young children in one more layer than an adult would wear.