Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Cold Weather

coldFall has arrived and the temperatures are dropping. Maybe I’m getting older but it seems like I feel the cold so much more. What happened to all that talk about global warming? I sure wouldn’t mind some of it when I’m cold. Now is the time to talk to students about appropriate clothes for the weather.

I think this needs to be done with young children all the way up to teens. Younger children need to be taught to dress properly to protect themselves from the cold and teens need to be taught that being warm is more important than being cool.

Some children might not have cold weather clothes so it is important to be sensitive while teaching these lessons. I try to ask questions that will help me judge whether they do or not. If I suspected someone needing a winter coat I usually head to the guidance counselor for help. Many times I have brought in my husband’s old coats and told a student that I was getting rid of it and asked if they wanted it.

One lesson I teach is fun for the older students is about fashion and cold weather. We actually brainstorm ideas on how to be fashionable but still stay warm. I think the students enjoy this discussion. We also look at sale papers to see how the models dress for cold weather but are still looking “cool.”

Do you discuss cold weather dress in your classroom? How do you approach it? Please share.

Image: 'Walk,NY'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87907929@N00/3228826470
Found on flickrcc.net

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Great post...

Perhaps people might also like to consider "Swishing" - "ethical fashion, clothes swapping". http://swishing.com/

The concept of Swishing is transportable locally/nationally/internationally.

Congerjan said...

My favorite book to share with elementary students during the cold weather months is "Recess at 20 Below" by Cindy Aillaud. It talks about what recess is like in winter in Alaska. The kids love it and then we compare and contrast it to our winter recess.