Hello friends! We’re the Ostmo family, and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya, has tons of friends all around the world, and many of them love winter sports as much as Melaya.

Noah and his Brother Love Snowboarding in Canada

Melaya has a friend named Noah who lives in Canada. Noah’s older brother is an amazing snowboarder. Snowboarding involves riding down a slope on a board while wearing special boots with bindings attached. The bindings hold your feet in place so that you can control the snowboard without falling off. Noah said Snowboarding is great fun, but it can be very dangerous if you don’t know how to do it properly. It’s one of the most popular winter sports in Canada and many other countries around the world.

Noah said he has been learning how to snowboard from his brother. he said when you’re learning how to snowboard, it’s essential to wear the right equipment, like a helmet and a pair of goggles. Snowboarding boots are also important because they help keep your feet warm when they are in contact with the cold glittering snow.

Ice Hockey is Helena’s Favorite Winter Sport

Now, in Finland, over 1,500 miles away from London, lives another of Melaya’s friends, named Helena. She and Melaya chatted a while ago and Helana told Melaya that she started watching ice hockey with her dad and she loves it. Helena says that her favorite player is Teemu Selanne, a Finnish hockey player who plays for the Anaheim Ducks. She said that he is very fast and shoots hockey pucks really hard. Helena also said she just started practicing ice hockey and the first time he stepped on the ice he slipped over and over and that annoyed her a lot. Fortunately, she has improved a lot since and now she can skate without falling! Helena said she’ll like to be a professional hockey player when she grows up.

What would you like to be when you grow up?

Akari’s Uncle is a Professional Bobsledder

Pretty far from Finland, over in Japan lives Akari, Melaya’s friend. 

Akari’s uncle is a professional bobsledder and he told Akari that bobsledding is a sport where two people lie down on a sled, which is made of fiberglass and steel, and slide down an icy track while clutching onto metal handles. Akari said it sounds like fun but very scary too! But he’s not concerned about his uncle because he’s really good and has been practicing bobsledding for years!

Akari’s uncle said that he would take Akari to a real bobsled track and let him try it out. Bobsledding is Akari’s favorite sport!

Aurel Wants to be Switzerland’s Best Skater One Day

Back in Europe, in Switzerland lives another friend of Melaya named Aurel. Melaya was pretty surprised when Aurel told her she doesn’t like winter very much because sometimes winter landscapes can be really dreary. Dreary means something that makes you sad. 

However, Aurel loves winter sports, especially figure skating! She loves it because it’s very graceful and beautiful. Although she’s not a big fan of winter, Aurel has been skating since she was a little girl. She practices every day because she wants to be the best skater in Switzerland one day. She says that when she is skating on the ice, it feels like time stops and she can fly! Aurel’s dream is to have a gold medal in the Olympic Games one day. She trains very hard because she knows it will take time to reach her goal, but she has no doubt that she will succeed!

Have you ever trained so hard for something?

Peter and His Dad Ski in the Mountains of Denmark Every Weekend.

Now, in Denmark, lives a boy named Peter, who is also Melaya’s friend. Peter loves skiing and he’s amazing at it. Peter’s father is a ski instructor and he has taught Peter how to ski since he was very young. Peter’s father takes him to the mountains every weekend and they ski together. Peter loves it! He is so good at skiing that he can even compete with the best skiers in his class.

Have you ever been the best in your class at something?

There are a lot more Amazing winter sports that Melaya is interested in like Curling, Biathlon and Speed skiing, although she thinks speed skiing could be dangerous because unlike skiing, you would have to move really really fast!

Tell us in the comments what your favorite winter sports are! If you want to learn more about different winter sports, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various winter sports!

Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get in touch with us. 

Ciao friends, until next time!