Preparing our autistic kids for snow

It's nearly the end of January, and as our eldest proclaims "It might snow soon."  Like many autistic kids, Anthony thinks mostly in black and white, but the weather isn't always compliant.  Over the years he's come to realise that snow in our country is more rare than where his cousin lives in the USA and he confirms that his best chance of having some is late January.  So as snow is a rarity, and my autistic kids fear the unknown, how can I help my kids get ready for it? 

What does it look like?

There's really little that's like snow.  Most kids engage with visuals and ours engage with media such as TV's and iPads so think about what you can use.    We've watched several David Attenborough shows about penguins, polar bears and artic foxes (my favourite).   

We've made penguin cupcakes, sprinkled icing sugar snow on top of Gruffalo's Child pancakes and stomped our Stick Man family craft through flour.  Our eldest son also likes using the weather app on our phone. We've added some cities to it where it snows including Chicago and Moscow.  All to immerse ourselves in the idea of snow.

What does it feel like?

Yep, it's cold. Holding ice pops may seem like an odd thing to do in Winter but it's a great way to understand what snow might feel like.  You can even pop on gloves.  Get ready by making sure all the kids cold and wet weather gear fits.  Whether it's our favourite roll top wellington boots that stops Anthony's feet from slipping or our water and windproof wooly hats and socks, get it on. We've also got counting on gloves, which have times tables on the fingers.  These are fun are tie in numbers which our kids love with keeping their fingers warm! This will let them know what they might wear if they do get to play with snow. 

It's also difficult to walk in.  Think about times when it's been slippy before and talk about it. We also practice walking while holding on to each other for safety. 

How do we play with it?

There's really nothing like playing with snow but, Snoballs might give kids a good idea.  Snoball sets are made by Zimpli and simply need you to add water to a powder for the 'snow' to grow.  It can be moulded like snow into snowballs and played with in the garden for practice.  

The colder you make the water to mix with, the more like real snow it will be.  It's also a great way to introduce kids to the idea of a snow ball fight - you could try using warm water to start with so they get used to the game without initially feeling the shock of the cold.  Some kids especially those with sensory processing difficulties might find extreme temperatures challenging so this is a good tactic.  Our kids loved playing with Zimpli Snoballs and it makes it possible for them to play when a touch of snow does come down. 

How do you prepare for snow?

We were sent some products to try for purpose of review and are happy to include them in our post.