It seems like during spring and summer the only thing you hear in the neighborhood are kids outside playing and running around. Yesterday I was outside not too long after the neighborhood children arrived home from school and I noticed the lack of sound: There was complete silence outside.

That got me thinking and really as the weather began to cool, the children seem to be around less.  It's almost as though children today don't know the good time to be had in the winter, and people have forgotten how much fun fall and winter can be inside and outside.  Or maybe they don't want to deal with sick kids, but either way my memories of the cold are fond.

Where are the children making leaf piles and jumping in to them? Where are the snowmen and snow ball fights?  I remember that before Thanksgiving dinner everyone in the family would go outside and play football. In the winter we prayed for snow and when it came, we would all be drinking hot chocolate after building a bunch of snow men and snow angels.  Those were some of the fondest memories I have as a child with my family.

The question is how we do as parents encourage this behavior? It's as simple as sharing your favorite seasonal activities from when you were a child. Show them how to build a snow man and make snow angels.  Join them in trying to catch the first snowflakes with your tongue, and afterword how about a game of Uno with the family.  The City of Hazelwood picks up the leaves at the curb so how about while you rake the leaves have the kids come out and show them how fun jumping in them can be!  The days that are too cold or too wet would be a perfect time to have the kids play board games and try some seasonal crafts. The Hazelwood Community Centers are great locations to gather and do fun free events together.

My family still has some old things from when I was a child and it can be a lot of fun to go through them every year and the parks are also fun when it's cold, from sledding to just rolling round in the snow. White Birch Park has great hills and Howdershell, Musick and plenty more have plenty of space for those outdoors sports like foot ball. Check the Hazelwood Parks & Recreation guide for fun events each month.

As the mother of a 6-month old named Jacob, I can't wait to see the facial expression the first time he sees and feels snow.