As a teacher, I have a few snow days just about every year. The best ones are a chance to do some creative work, catch up on some sleep, and spend time working on lessons and unit planning.
A couple of years ago, I drew a snow day comic. This time, it’s a story I wrote for the Yeti I made in a class with Jen Gubicza last week.
The Yeti Snow Day
It was the first big snowstorm of the year. As soon as he woke up, Yeti peered out from behind the curtain at the white drifts slowly piling up in his backyard. He paused for a minute to stare out the window, his eyes wide with wonder, imagining all the fun he could have if he was out there.
Yeti raced downstairs to the kitchen.
“Dad, is school cancelled?” he asked.
Yeti’s dad looked up from the pan of scrambled eggs he was making. Yeti thought he could see his dad try not to smile, be he couldn’t be sure.
“Is it, dad?” he asked again, more insistently this time.
“I don’t know,” his dad said. “You should go check on the TV yourself.”
Yeti ran into the living room and turned on the television. It was already tuned to the news channel, the weather report blaring from the speakers, as if someone else had already been watching with the same question in his head. As the glow of the television light danced across his face, Yeti scanned the list of school names slowly scrolling along the bottom of the screen.
“The Yeti School starts with a Y,” he said. “Why does it have to be the second-to-last letter of the alphabet!”
He waited, not so patiently, until…
The Yeti School! School was cancelled! He had a snow day!
After he finished eating his breakfast, Yeti asked his dad, “Can I go out and play?”
“Not until we clean up these dishes,” his dad replied.
So they got to work. Yeti scrubbed the pan while his dad loaded the dishwasher. Soon, they were done.
“Can I go out and play?” Yeti asked again.
“Not until you make your bed and your room is clean,” his dad replied.
So Yeti tromped upstairs and got to work. He straightened the sheets and the cozy wool blanket. He put his dirty clothes into the basket. Finally, he put his books back in the bookcase. Soon, he was done.
“Can I go out and play?” Yeti asked a third time.
“Almost,” his dad said. “We just need to brush off the car and shovel the sidewalk.”
So Yeti and his dad got suited up in all their snow gear and trudged outside, shovels in hand. Yeti shoveled the sidewalk while his dad brushed off the car. Soon, they were done.
“Now can I go play?” Yeti asked.
“Yes!” his dad replied. “Have fun, little Yeti!”
Yeti built a snow fort, rolled giant snowballs for a snowyeti, and caught snowflakes on his tongue. He was having fun, but something was still missing. When Yeti realized what it was, he ran back inside.
Quickly, he pulled off his boots, hung up his coat, and put his hat and mittens on the radiator to dry.
“Back so soon?” asked Yeti’s dad.
“Can I use the phone?” Yeti asked.
“Sure,” his dad said.
Yeti dialed the number and waited as the phone rang and rang and rang. Just as he was sure no one would pick up, he heard a voice on the other end of the line.
“Can you come over and play?” he asked.
“Let me check with my mom,” said his monster friend.
Waiting seemed to take forever. Yeti stared out the window as more snowflakes silently floated to the ground.
“Maybe it will all melt before we can play together,” he thought to himself.
And then, he heard his friend’s voice again on the phone.
“Yes!” his friend said. “I’ll be over in five minutes.”
Yeti was so excited. He ran back to the hallway and put on his boots, his scarf, his coat, his hat, and his mittens. He came outside just as his friend Sasquatch was rounding the corner of his house. The two of them spent a long time playing happily together. They enjoyed a nice cup of hot chocolate on Yeti’s couch when they got too cold and too tired to play any more.
“Do you think we’ll have another snow day tomorrow?” Sasquatch asked.
“I sure hope so,” said Yeti.
Figuring out the quilt. I have never quilted before, so it was fun to mess around and teach myself how such a thing is done.
