A walk in the snow

[jfields]

Walking would be action.
Are you in the course where you're writing a description of a real child or where you're writing a story.

For a story, walking is action...but it would only be PLOT action if it's part of how the child solves the plot problems.

[jfields]

Ah, if this is the assignment that requests you observe a real child, it actually doesn't want you to work from memory. So if your manual is asking you to observe a real child, it wants you to go where children ARE and look at the child and observe it and then record all that you saw and heard. Working from memory (especially memory of yourself) is going to result in telling instead of showing because you didn't SEE yourself walking. If you totally and completely cannot get out of the house and cannot observe a child, then choose a television program with a child on it and write a description of that child gestures, looks, actions, dialogue...but direct observation would be better. I have had a couple students try to do this assignment by distant memory and it's never ever come out well so I HIGHLY don't recommend it. You'll miss out on what the assignment is about.

Now, for the totally separate question of whether, in general, it is okay to write a story with a child who is walking in the snow home from school. That's fine. Actually some kids still do it -- not many, but some. But be sure that if you're writing a STORY for an assignment that it's actually asking for a STORY (some of the assignments are exercises and are not asking for a full story) and if you are writing a STORY, be certain you have a plot and not just things happening.

[jfields]

Oh, sorry for being a nag then. In that case, it sounds lovely.