Snow day magic: 21 ways to bring on a school snow day

Try these marvelous magic tricks for snow day success.

“It’s a snow day!  No school today!”

Who doesn’t jump for joy at these welcome winter words? Obviously, education is important, but the occasional sudden snow day off from school can be a rare gift indeed.

Across the Northern half of the United States (and in many other areas as well), youngsters for years have practiced marvels and mystical techniques for conjuring up snow days. Countless teachers (and even parents and school principals) have participated in snow day magic tricks as well.

One might even jokingly call these snow day tricks white magic. Would you like to know these wintry wonders for causing school closures for snow?

Adapted from public domain photo.

First, what makes a snow day so marvelous?

A snow day is a surprise gift, an unexpected respite.

At the first sign of snow, students and teachers awaken early to stare at the news-flash tickers at the bases of their television screens, watching county after county list their school closures. Others click eagerly on cell phones and computers, checking online listings for snow-closed schools.

Prayers are uttered, fingers are crossed and wishes are made.

“Please! Please! Please! List our school,” kids of all ages cry out.

Finally, as the desired schools are listed among the snow day school closures, youngsters and educators may rejoice, even as working parents begin pounding the phones to arrange emergency child care for the day.

A snow day is an unplanned vacation day.

No one seems to mind that too many snow day school closures may extend the end of the school year or cause the omission of certain teacher workshop days during the spring semester. In fact, no one seems to mind an occasional snow day school closure at all.

Students who have completed their homework and teachers who have finished their classroom preparations the night before may be delighted to have the day off – with no agendas or obligations. Those who may have fallen behind on their assignments may see a snow day as a rescue, offering them a one-day extension to finish their projects.

For all of these reasons – and perhaps more – students and teachers have practiced snow day magic tricks for generations, hoping to tip the scales and mystically make meteorological matters work in their favor. According to most kids, of course, the snow day magic tricks only work with maximum (or unanimous) participation at any particular school.

Certain students have been blamed for failing to perform snow day magic tricks – when the snow day magic has not resulted in days off from school.

Whether these snow day marvels work or not may be difficult to prove or disprove, but folks swear by these legends. 

What are the snow day magic tricks?

Snow day magic includes a myriad of steps. To optimize results, students and teachers may perform each and every snow day magic trick – at the first sign of snow. Here are 21 of the most popular snow day magic tricks:

NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author (LAN/Practically at Home) holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.

1. Do all your homework.
2. Draw a white chalk outline all the way around your bedroom doorframe.
3. Drop a snowball in the toilet.
4. Hide a frozen white crayon under your bed.
5. Line your bedroom doorway with white crayons.
6. Place a white plastic spoon on your bedroom windowsill.
7. Plan a couple of extra appointments for the day.
8. Put a white crayon in the freezer.
9. Run five times around the kitchen table in each direction, while wearing pajamas.
10. Set a white stuffed animal toy on your windowsill.
11. Sleep backwards in your bed (head to foot).
12. Sleep in pajamas, but while wearing them backwards.
13. Spin around ten times in each direction, wearing pajamas.
14. Sprinkle several ice cubes in the toilet.
15. Stand on your head, and sing “Frosty the Snowman.”
16. Stash a soup spoon under your pillow.
17. Stick something silver under your pillow.
18. Store a snowball in the freezer.
19. Throw ice cubes at a tree outside.
20. Tuck a wooden spoon under your pillow.
21. Wear pajamas inside out.

Of course, after completing all of these snow day magic tricks, folks may find themselves so tuckered out that they actually need a day off.

Do snow day magic tricks work?

Whether the weather is affected by snow day magic tricks may be debatable, but snow-loving folks seem to enjoy the process.

No one seems to know the origins (or meanings) of these snow day magic tricks. But snow day magic tricks sure are fun … and you can take that to the (snow) bank.

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Mom's fondest memories aren't fair ... or are they?

This old family photo makes me laugh and nearly cry at the same time, as it makes fond memories bubble up in my mom-heart.

Sure, I’m proud of my kids these days, as they are growing up into real-life people. (Ask any parent, if you don’t understand the depth of meaning of that seemingly simplistic statement.) Sometimes I think they are even human.

But photos like this one take me back to those sweet days – when my kids enjoyed one another without fighting (much), when they were willing to wear adorable matching outfits, and when a mother-and-daughters trip to the State Fair was a summer highlight.

I miss those moments, when my kids sincerely believed that hanging out with Mom and each other was as cool as it gets – even on a hot summer day.

On the other hand, these days we are making genuine grown-up memories, which are tremendous.

Image:

LAN/Practically at Home photo

All rights reserved

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Frugal family fun: We zoom to the zoo for summer outings

City zoos offer wildly interesting and entertaining excursions for family – and often for a song. For years, our crew has carried season passes to the local zoo, enjoying significant savings on this family recreation choice.

Actually, our local zoo offered free admission for decades, but they underwent a huge overhaul several years ago and began charging a fee. But we found the changes worthwhile, as they added lots more animals and attractions.

The family pass (which includes access for four adults, multiple kids, and even occasional guests) costs about $100. At first, that may sound like a hefty sum, but taking a couple of grownups and a slew of kids to the zoo, the movies, or an amusement park can easily cost that much - especially if a return trip is in the works.

Included with membership are gift shop and snack bar discounts (with no need for keeping codes or coupons). We also get a colorful zoo magazine, free zoo concert /picnic tickets, and summer zoo camp discounts (although we don’t use the camp program).

Best of all, as members, we flash the pass and enter the zoo gates without waiting in line.

What’s more, our local zoo membership brings us free (or discounted) entry to approximately 150 other American Zoo Association locations nationwide, through an AZA reciprocity agreement. We’ve even stumbled upon other zoos and walked in free without presenting our passes, as they were able to look up our memberships online.

That’s a wild, screaming deal for summer family fun.

Image/s:

Milwaukee Zoo Peacock –

Creative Commons Licensing

Henry Vilas Zoo Penguins

- Creative Commons Licensing

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