Snow days bring family together for sledding

Many schools have been in distance learning this week instead of using snow days. Some families say traditional snow days are worth preserving.

Nothing screams a snow day like sledding and hot chocolate, and that's exactly how the O'Dea family spent their day off from school on Thursday.

The geese weren’t the only ones having fun in the snow and ice. Speeding down a hill nearby, the O'Dea family made the most of their day off.

For Jim O'Dea, these moments of sledding down and trudging up hills were the best parts of his childhood.

"The key thing was going sledding on no-school days was the highlight. It brings back a lot of fond memories," he said.

Memories he now makes with his kids—Thomas, Lucy, and Margaret.

"I like going fast on it," Margaret said.

And going fast comes with the occasional wipeout. With his years of experience, Jim teaches his kids a couple of tricks to fly down the hill.

"Positioning is key. You want to be a little bit on a level spot, and the key thing is the takeoff."

To Jim, there's an art to sledding.

"It's not an easy thing," he said. "You have to spend a lot of time, and there's a lot of balancing involved. You can use your hands, and you can use your feet to direct the sled in the right direction."

With a little bit of coaching and readjusting, the kids were smooth sailing.