Walking in a Winter Wonderland



Snowflakes (To the tune of 'Up on the Housetop')
Snowflakes are falling on the ground
On our houses and in our town
On my nose and in my hair
Snowflakes are falling everywhere
Oh, oh, oh, out we go
Oh, oh, oh, in the snow
Making snowmen, sliding, too
There are lots of things to do.


Winter Outline Web:

activities - ice fishing, skiing, sledding, ice skating, snowboarding
animals - hibernate, migrate, stay active
plants - die, lose leaves, are "naked"
weather - may be colder, icy, snowy, sleety
clothing - hat, jacket, coat, sweater, boots, mittens/gloves
Activities
* Let the children draw and write about the four seasons.
* Make a chart comparing winter weather (cold, snow, ice, bare trees, frost, sleet, icicles, etc.) to that of the other seasons.
* Make a list of winter activities (sledding, skiing, ice skating, shoveling snow).
* Allow the children to use paper plates as "ice skates." Let them "skate" around the classroom.

* Ask the children to remember what clothes they wore during the summer and draw a picture of themselves doing summer activities (swimming, biking, playing, etc). Then ask them to talk about the clothes they have on in these pictures. Do the same with winter activities. Compare the bathing suits, tank tops, and shorts to coats, hats, scarves, and gloves.


Have the children graph their favorite types of weather




The Mitten by Jan Brett
* Designate a special day to wear gloves or mittens all day long.
* Draw and decorate mittens that would not get lost in the snow.
* Act out the story. Allow each child to have a turn being one of the characters. Allow them to create costumes or masks if time allows.
* Explain that the animals in the story hibernate in winter.



Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone
* Use this story to go along with the "mitten theme."
* Make a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast kittens and kids.
* Discuss cause and effect - the kittens lose their mittens, so they don't get pie.
* Make a list of "threes." Things that Mama Cat would have to buy three of for her kittens to go to school.
* Use the predictable sentence, "I can ______, but a baby can not."
* As a class, write a sequel to this book.



The Hat by Jan Brett
* This story can be acted out too. Allow the children to each have a turn playing the part of their favorite character.
* Designate a special day to wear winter hats all day long.
* Compare this story to Jan Brett's "The Mitten."



The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats



Mitten Poems:

Warm Mittens:
I wiggle my left hand,
I wiggle my right,
Inside of my mittens,
So warm and so tight.

I wiggle my pinkie,
I wiggle my thumb,
So when I make snowballs,
My hands don't get numb.

Mittens
Mittens are warm,
Mittens are grand,
Mittens are like shoes for my hands.

Mittens
Stripes or dots or sparkling white,
Mittens in winter fit just right.
Wool and cotton, maybe leather-
Mittens warm us in cold weather.
In rainbow colors and darkest black,
Mittens fit in a pocket or in your pack.
Thumbs alone, fingers together,
We love mittens in the cold, cold weather.



Funky Snowman Rap:
Funky Snowman loves to dance
You think he wouldn't have a chance
Without two legs are even pants.
Does that stop Funky Snowman?
No!
Turn up the music with the disco beat,
When you're in the grove you don't need feet.
Crowds come out and fill the street.
Kick it, Funky Snowman


S-S-S-S-S Poem
Seven silly snowmen
Sitting side by side.
Out came the sun,
And they had to hide.
Two behind the sled,
Two behind the tree,
Two behind the snowbank,
And one behind me.

Snowman Song (to the tune of "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 play in the snow
But when the sun shines
It's time to go.

Hibernation Song (to the tune of "Are You Sleeping")
Bear is sleeping, bear is sleeping.
In the cave, in the cave.
I know when he'll come out, I know when he'll come out.
In the spring, in the spring.

Birds are flying, birds are flying.
In the sky, in the sky.
I know when they'll come back, I know when they'll come back.
In the spring, in the spring

The Winter Pokey:
You put your right mitten in,
You take your right mitten out.
You put your right mitten in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the winter pokey (shiver)
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!

You put your left mitten in...
You put your right boot in...
You put your left boot in...
Your put your hat (head) in...
You put your snowsuit (whole body) in...

Winter, Winter (To the tune of 'Twinkle, Twinkle')
Winter, winter, look and see
All the changes around me.
Plants are sleeping; trees are bare.
Frosty mornings, chilly air
Winter, winter, look and see
All the changes around me.




The bear, groundhog, and skunk eat without a care.
Then they sleep through winter in cozy dens away from frosty air.
The duck, robin, and goose fly south with all their brood.
They flock to where there's lots of sun and more delious food.
The moose, squirrel, and fox stay home throughout the year.
They grow thick coats to keep them warm while winter's cold is here.



North Pole, South Pole
(To the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)
Up north there's a very cold ocean,
Where icebergs are big as can be.
Up north there's a place called the North Pole,
Where polar bears swim in the sea.
Up north, up north, where polar bears swim in the sea, the sea.
Up north, up north, where swimming is too cold for me!

Down south there's a very cold ocean,
Where icebergs are big as can be.
Down south there's a place called the South Pole,
Where penguins all swim in the sea.
Down south, down south, where penguins all swim in the sea, the sea.
Down south, down south, where swimming is too cold for me!

Word Families:
-an: man, fan, can, ran, tan, van, plan, scan, than
-ow: snow, mow, bow, row, slow, show, grow, low, glow, flow
-ake: flake, bake, cake, fake, lake, take, rake, wake, brake, make, quake, shake, snake, stake