Sensory Table
snow
cotton balls
packaging foam peanuts
Songs and Fingerplays
Snowflakes
Snowflakes, snowflakes,
Dance around
(Dance fingers)
Snowflakes, snowflakes
Touch the ground.
(Touch floor)
Snowflakes, snowflakes
In the air.
(Dance fingers upward)
Snowflakes, snowflakes,
Everywhere.
(Dance fingers outward)
Snow Piles
Sung to "Shoo Fly"
I looked outside and spied
Snowdrifts piled way up high.
Let's go and play outside
While the snow falls from the sky.
It's such a silly thing.
It fell upon my swing.
It fell on everything.
Miles of snow piles can be seen.
Snow is Falling
Sung to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
Snow is falling all around,
Falling, softly to the ground.
Big, white flakes are everywhere,
Sticking to my nose and hair.
Snow is falling all around,
Falling softly to the ground.
A Winter Surprise
Sung to "A tisket, A Tasket"
It's freezing, it's snowing.
The old wind is blowing.
I went to bed, laid down my head
And all the time now knowing.
Not knowing, not knowing,
That the snow kept going.
I woke up from a cold, dark night,
To see a world of sparkling white.
Snowman
(Tune - I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little snowman,
Round and fat.
I have a broomstick.
I have a hat.
With my friends
I like to play.
But when the sun comes out
I run away.
Math Concepts
Five Round Snowballs
Cut five snowball shapes out of white felt and place
them on a flannelboard. Read the following rhyme to
your children, removing one snowball at the end of
each verse. At the end of the rhyme, ask the children
what they think the little boy did with the last
snowball.
Five round snowballs piled in a heap,
One rolled to the bottom where it wasn't so steep.
Four round snowballs make a smaller mound,
One was scared to be so high and rolled to the
ground.
Three round snowballs in a little pile,
One rolled down the hill for a mile.
Two round snowballs sitting all alone,
A little boy picked it up and took it home.
The Hiding Hat
Place five to ten small items or toys on a tray. Show
your children the tray of items and your special
"Hiding Hat." Have them look closely at the items.
Ask them to cover their eyes while you put the Hiding
Hat over one of the items. When they open their eyes,
have them guess which item the hat is hiding. Whoever
guesses correctly gets to have the next turn hiding an
item.
Snowball sorting
Every snowman begins with the basics - snowballs. Set up a center where your
youngsters sort styrofoam snowballs by size. Fill a sensory table or tub
with styrofoam balls. Provie 3 different sized buckets nearby. Have each
child drop the small balls inot the small bucket, the medium balls int he
medium bucket, large balls in the large bucket. For an authentic touch
invite the children to wear mittens while they work.
Large Motor Skills
Snow Fun
Lead your children around the room pretending to stomp
through snow. Then have them lie down on their backs
and move their arms up and down and legs open and
closed to make pretend "snow angles". If you have
snow in your area do these activities outdoors.
Art and Crafts
White on White
Creat a snowy day picture by using only white materials. Give each child a
styrofoam tray to be used as a base for the picture. Provide an assortment
of white materials (cotton balls, white string, yarn, pipe cleaners, rice,
sand, beans, white straws, fabrics) to glue on to the tray to create a snowy
scene.
Snow Spray art
Items needed:
2 spray bottles
water
blue & green food colorings
Snow
Fill each bottle with water and each with one color of food coloring.
Place bottles in snow for awhile to cool the water - so as not to melt the
snow. Children can now spray paint the snow or the snow sculptures that they
have built.
Snowflake Charmers
Make these necklaces as keepsakes of a snowy day.
Paint three snap-apart craft sticks white. When the
paint is dry, stack and glue the sticks - one atop
the other - to form a snowflake. Tie the center of a
length of white yarn near the tip of one of the
sticks; then tie the ends of the yarn together to
complete the necklace.Optional : Add silver sequins or glitter for sparkle.
Snow Mural
Set out a large piece of blue construction paper or
butcher paper. Pour glue into shallow containers.
Let your children dip cotton balls into the glue and
stick them all over the paper to represent falling
snowflakes. Display the finished mural on a wall.
Snack Time/ Cooking
Snow Cones
Make snow cones by placing crushed ice in small paper
cups and pouring on partially diluted juice
concentrate.
Snowy Snack
Let your children help you make regular or instant
chocolate pudding. When the pudding is set, give each
child a bowl with a scoop of pudding in it. Put
powered sugar in a sifter and let the children add a
light dusting of powdered sugar "snow" to their
pudding.