A little snow isn't going to dampen any trick-or-treat plans, said Wilson Elementary School students, and it certainly didn't keep them inside during recess Wednesday.
The first batch of bundled-up students ran out the doors of the school for recess just after noon, making their mark in the blanket of snow that fell overnight and continued throughout the morning.
"Let's eat snow, it's yummy," suggested a boy in a red coat with black sleeves, his glasses slightly fogged over.
A boy in a gray fleece jacket grimaced, tilting his head back to see underneath the hood that was covering his eyes.
"Ew, you're going to get sick," he said.
"No, I've eaten snow before and it didn't get me sick," the boy replied, stopping to lick a handful of snow. "It's only bad for you if it's yellow or slushy."
Some students followed his lead and spent the half-hour recess period eating snow from various spots on the playground. Others rolled snowballs or made snowmen and angels. Some planned to make forts once they got home.
"The first day it snows they're pretty calm," said playground supervisor Tami Merritt. "They experiment with the snow, making snow angels and snowmen. It's always fun to watch them. After that they get used to it and start running around some more."
Merritt said students are usually allowed to decide whether or not they want to go outside when it's snowing or raining.
Some teachers stay in the classrooms and let their students watch movies and play games if they'd rather stay inside. Last year when temperatures dropped well below zero, the kids stayed in, Merritt said. But for the most part, they want to be out regardless of the weather.
"The kids love to be outside," she said, laughing as a student discovered that frozen fingers are the result of not wearing gloves while rolling snowballs. "Sometimes we think they're nuts because if we had a choice, we'd be inside."
Fifth-grader Kaile Akina said the early snowfall just adds to the fun of being outside, especially on Halloween.
"We should all just dress up like Santa Claus and have a Halloween Christmas," she said.
Hampton Ware, a third-grader at Wilson, said the only difference between playing outside in typical autumn weather and the snow is the temperature of the pile you can dive into.
"You can dive right into the snow," Ware explained, extending his hands and pretending to jump into a snow pile. "It's the same as jumping into a pile of leaves only it's a lot colder."
