Welcome to Winter! Part 3: Dressing for Winter
January 31, 2012 | Melanie |
Comments (3)
Today I walked into Tim Hortons and I saw somebody dressed in shorts!
Now, I know that the weather has been pretty mild for January in Canada, but that's still no excuse to wear shorts in the middle of January!
Don't let the weather fool you! Temperature and weather conditions can change very quickly in Canada. If you want to have a fun and safe winter in Canada, it's important to learn how to dress appropriately for the Canadian winter.
Photo credit: http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/42-tips-to-help-you-ride-your-bike-all-winter.html
Here are some tips on how to dress for the wintertime:
1. Invest in a good winter coat
If you can only spend your money on one good piece of winter clothing, make sure you buy a good quality winter coat! Good quality winter coats usually have down feather insulation and are usually waterproof or water-resistant. If you really want to protect yourself from the cold, make sure you get a coat that is on the longer side. Three-quarter coats, which end at or below the knee, help to ensure that a larger percentage of your body is retaining heat. Finally, make sure your coat has a hood, for an extra layer of protection. (Photo credit: http://www.buydiscount4u.com/parka-canada-goose-trillium-parka-down-jackets-womens-winter-outlet-coats-beige-cg50001-p-31.html)
2. Get a good pair of boots!
One of the most important body parts to keep warm are your feet. There are two key ingredients to keeping your feet warm - a good pair of wool socks, and a good pair of boots. When looking for a good pair of winter boots you want to make sure, first and foremost, that they will keep you warm. Many good quality winter boots have tags with temperature ratings. These temperature ratings are a good indication of how warm the boots will keep your feet in very cold temperatures.
Make sure your boots are waterproof or water-resistant. A beautiful, crisp snowfall in Toronto can quickly turn into a wet and slushy mess. Keeping your feet dry during the winter, especially if you're in the city, is just as important as keeping your feet warm. Wet feet means cold feet. Like temperature tags, good quality boots will usually have tags that tell you whether they are waterproof or water-resistant. A quick way to tell whether your boots are waterproof or water-resistant is if the outside material of the boot is made of rubber. If the outside material of your winter boots are made of suede, then they're probably not going to do a very good job of keeping the water out.
Photo credit: http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/introtoeasteuropetravel/tp/dresswintertravel.htm
Finally, make sure your boots have good traction. Boots with good traction means that your boots will have a better grip on icy and slippery surfaces. If the soles of your boots are smooth, then they probably have very poor traction, and this means that you will be more prone to slips and falls on icy and slippery surfaces. However, if the soles of your boots are grooved, then you will have a better chance of maneuveuring icy and slippery surfaces without falling or slipping.
3. Dress in layers
Finally, one of the best ways you can protect yourself against the cold is to dress in layers. Dressing in layers is important because it helps you to adjust to changes in temperature. If you're dressed too warmly, you may start to sweat. If you're sweating, it means you're getting wet, which means that you'll start to feel cold. If you're dressed in layers, you can take off layers if you're feeling too warm, or add them if you're feeling too cold.
When dressing in layers, these articles of clothing will come in handy:
- longjohns
- turtlenecks
- sweaters
- scarves
- gloves
- mittens
- hats
Photo credit: http://indiraprabhakaran.com/blog/winter-eh/
When it comes to dressing in layers, it is especially important to wear a hat. You lose more heat through your head than any other part of your body. Why is it that your hands and feet are usually the first of your body parts to get cold? It's because keeping your head and brain warm is your body's top priority. Your body has to make sure that your head is warm before it will heat any other part of your body. If you wear a hat, you are helping your body conserve heat, which means that your body can focus on making sure that other parts of your body stay warm.
If you'd like more information on how to dress for the winter, settlement.org has some great resources!
Check out their great video for children on the do's and don'ts of dressing for winter:
Photo credit: http://www.settlement.org/sys/library_detail.asp?doc_id=1004151
Toronto Public Library also has many great resources for children on how to dress appropriately for the wintertime. Here are some suggestions:
We hope you enjoyed our Welcome to Winter! series. If you haven't already, make sure you check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our Welcome to Winter series. If there's one thing you take away from our series, it's that you don't have to have been born in Canada to enjoy the Canadian Winter! The way you feel about winter depends largely on how well you prepare yourself for the cold months ahead.
Photo credit: http://blog.christlutheranchurch.mb.ca/
Have a happy and safe Winter!
Share your ideas with us! What do you do to keep warm?
