Burrrrr! I don’t know about where you live, but it’s sure been cold this past week in Georgia. The temperature dropped to a chilly 5 degrees and I secretly prayed for some nice fluffy snow for my kids to enjoy…but all we got was COLD! So we snuggled up and experienced a snowy day inside the only other way I know- in a book.
I remember reading Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats when I was a kid and
reading it to my kiddos brought back memories of building snowmen, making snow
angels, and making snow cones with my sisters. In this award winning story a
little boy named Peter wakes up to a snowy day and experiences all the joys
that snow brings. He even tries to keep a snowball memento in his pocket for
later. Sean was captivated by the illustrations and intrigued by all the things
that you can do with snow. When a child’s interested is peaked from something
in a book it is the prime time to extend the story.
Activity #1: Sensory
The first day that we read the story I let Sean experiment
with some Grow Snow. Grow Snow is a fine white powder that I purchased in the
science section of Hobby Lobby (I have also seen it at teacher supply stores
and Michaels craft store), when you add water it expands and swells and takes
on the texture of real snow. I added some crushed ice that I blended to make a
more “snow” like feel. Sean was in love at first touch. He scooped, squished,
and even tried to make a miniature snowman.
Olivia had the chance to play in some crushed ice as well. Since
she is still in the “put everything in the mouth” phase I didn’t feel comfortable
with her playing in the Grow Snow. She loved the ice, of course she spent most
of her time sucking and soothing her gums.
Activity #2: Fine Motor
Sean’s been learning to correctly hold and use scissors, so
I found making some good old fashioned paper snowflakes to be the perfect activity
to compliment the story. Because he is just learning to cut I used thin, white cupcake
liners in lieu of regular paper (coffee filters would work too). If you’re
unfamiliar with making paper snowflakes, all you do is fold paper several times
and cut out shapes on the folded sides…open and reveal a beautiful snowflake.
We talked about how every snowflake design is different and
special, and compared the patterns on the 2 he made with the one I made.
Activity #3: Science
In the story, Peter places a snowball in his pocket for
later but when he returns to check on it he is disappointed that it’s “gone.”
Sean was confused as to where it went so we did a quick experiment. We talked
about how heat can melt things. I gave Sean a candle to hold over an ice cube
and we watched as the ice cube slowly “turned to water.”
Next we put the ice cube in a baggie and placed it in Sean’s
pocket, like Peter, and left it there while he completed his last story
activity.
Of course, after 15 minutes we checked it…and Sean
discovered that it was completely “gone” like Peter’s snowball.
Activity #4: Felt Board
For the last activity I gave Sean several pieces that I
cutout of felt (purchased at Hobby Lobby 4 sheets for a dollar) to create a
snowy day scene. I used the easel that he got for Christmas, and just attached
a large piece of stiff felt (purchased at Hobby Lobby for less than a dollar)
as the background. Since he is in love with trains I also included some pieces
to make tracks and trains, as well as parts for a snowman, and trees. This was
a big hit with Sean. He has a much smaller felt board and pieces that I made
for travel and restaurant use, but he loved having a larger surface to create a
bigger scene. I will have another post soon with more ways to use your easel
and felt boards so stay tuned.
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