The fresh snow brings endless possibilities: skiing, snowmen, snowball fights, and best of all, snow angels.

For the past 17 years, I’ve made over 100 snow angels. Over time, I have learned the perfect skills behind creating a snow angel.     1    

Find the proper snow

This is the most important step because without snow you can’t make a snow angel.     2     However, even though there isn’t any snow now, you can still make a spiritual snow angel! Although it won’t leave an imprint (痕迹) on the ground, you know it will be there in spirit!

    3    

Once you find the perfect place for your snow angel (or spiritual snow angel), you’ll want to lie flat on your back. Of course, you could also lie on your front.     4    

Move your arms and legs up and down

    5     Then raise your arms upwards to about 120° and your legs around 120° apart (分开). When you first start making snow angels, you may want to bring a protractor (量角器) outside, so you can make sure your snow angels are perfect!

Now, go out there and make the perfect snow angels!

【推荐2】As we know, children around the world have all kinds of ways to go to school. Mostly, they go to school by bus, by bike or by subway. However, in some places, children have to climb mountains or cross rivers to reach their schools. Let’s have a look!

In Ladakh, India, children have to take a road covered in ice to go to school. The road is 100 km long and it usually takes children about four days. They and their parents have to go on this journey twice a year to reach their boarding school (寄宿学校).

In Tunkhel, Mongolia, children have to travel 10 km of icy roads to reach school. To get there faster, they have to ride a horse. On the snowy roads, they always have to be careful while riding. Also, they have to watch out for wild dogs on the way. Their school doesn’t have enough rooms for classes, so children have classes in turn, younger ones in the morning and older ones in the afternoon.

The three sisters Julia, Yulissa and Kenya live in a village of Nicaragua. It often rains there. Every morning, they climb into their boat to row (划船) to school. They have to watch out for snakes hiding in the trees over the river. They also have to make sure that the boat does not fill up with water—because it has many holes and could sink (沉没) at any time.

Although in these places, it’s dangerous and difficult for children to go to school, they don’t give up. For them, it’s the only way to have a better future.

【推荐3】It was about 9:00 p. m. Six-year-old Alice was in bed. “Dad, tell me a story about your childhood. I want to know about you and your best friend at school,” said Alice. Alice and her dad just finished reading the story of Tin Tin together. Now it was time for “just one more story” before Alice went to sleep.

Most parents know about the benefits of reading stories from books with their children. It improves the children’s language skills(技能), makes them learn about the world, and helps them do a good job in reading at school. All in all, it’s helpful for parents to read books with their children.

Yet most parents don’t know that everyday family stories, like the one that Alice wanted her dad to tell that night, may be as useful as stories from books, and even have some new good points. For example, when parents share everyday stories with their children, their children may be able to tell richer, more complete(完整的)stories to others some time later. If teenagers know more about their family stories, they’ll care more about their family and feel less worried.

All families have stories to tell. Children and teenagers can learn a lot from them. And they may keep in mind all their life.