“Yay, it snowed again,” says no Wisconsin adult as enthusiastically as Jamie Swenson. For the free-spirited teacher, a new dusting means a fresh chance to romp and roam, and she has some lessons for all of us in learning to embrace winter.
Jamie’s appreciation for the cold began as soon as she was born on a chilly December day. She and her brothers were raised on southern Wisconsin farmland with a strong sense of nature and the changes and opportunities that each season brings.
“We just played outside all the time,” she says. “I’m thankful to have parents who also embraced the outdoors. They’d take us camping and hiking and picnicking in the woods.”
As an early childcare teacher in Madison, Jamie’s passionate about instilling a love of nature in her students — even if it means bundling up a dozen toddlers before stepping outside.
“Two-year-olds get hot and cranky, but it makes getting out there that much more magical,” she says. “You have to look at it as a learning opportunity — they’re learning how to get ready and they want to do so much themselves. Once you have a routine in place, it gets easier.”
And once they’re outside, it’s all about “curiosity and exploration,” Jamie’s mantra for her personal life as well. She guides kids in examining elements of the natural world and comparing how things change day to day and in different conditions.
“We catch a lot of snowflakes on our mittens,” she says. “We take snow out, we bring snow in, to see what happens. It’s basic science and awareness.”
Jamie’s only complaint about winter is when temperatures dip into the negative digits, but even then she finds the silver lining. When schools close for frigid weather, she’s free to get outside on her own.
“On the coldest days of the year, I make a point to go out on a hike,” she says.
Throughout the winter, her favorite spots are the UW Arboretum and Indian Lake County Park for hiking and snowshoeing. She’s also a fan of cross-country skiing, and recommends warming up at Lakeside Street Coffee House after swooshing across frozen Lake Monona.
To those who claim winter is too freezing to do anything fun, Jamie has a no-nonsense response: “There’s no such things as bad weather, just bad clothing,” she says, adding that merino wool and down are her go-to cold busters.
She also packs a hearty dose of gratitude all season long. “I’m always thankful that we have the opportunity to experience snow,” she says. “And I have a sense of wonder — I just want to see it.”
This winter is Jamie’s first as a newlywed, and she has some new frosty fun in store for her husband Matt and seven-year-old Aiden. “I have never gone to Cascade Mountain to do their sledding and tubing hill, so we will do that.”
In Jamie’s opinion, there’s only one thing better than a Wisconsin winter — and that’s the season that comes up next.
“I get spring fever like none other,” she says. “When the brunt of the cold is over and everything’s fresh — it’s what we’ve been waiting for all winter.”
Photo by Gena Larson.