Snowball On A Spoon- Submitted by Carol

Give each child a Styrofoam ball to carry on a large spoon. Encourage each child to try walking as slowly and they as rapidly as they can without jarring the ball from the spoon.

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Snowball Shoot- Submitted by Carol

Give children opportunities to toss snowball bean bags into basket.

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Snowballs in the Bucket- Submitted by Carol

Group children in pairs and provide each pair with a small container and a pile of Styrofoam snowballs. Position a bucket at an appropriate distance from all of the pairs. Ask the partners to work together to fill their container with snowballs and, carry it to the bucket, and empty their container of snowballs into the bucket.

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Snowball Swap- Submitted by Carol

Group children in pairs: then provide each pair with a beanbag. Encourage the children to gently throw the snowball beanbag back and forth.

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Blowing Cotton Balls- Submitted by Carol

Form children into several teams. Give each team a cotton ball. Have teams take turns turns blowing the cotton balls across the table or floor. A variation is to give each child a cotton ball and hold it with the tip of their thumb & first finger. Have them tilt there heads upward & hold the cotton ball above their mouths. As they blow, they should release the cotton ball and it will go up in the air & fall to the ground. The children try to catch the cotton ball.This resembles the falling snow.

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Borax Crystal Snowflake- Submitted by Carol

string, wide mouth jar, white pipe cleaners, blue food coloring (optional), boiling water (with adult help), borax (available at grocery stores in the laundry soap section), pencil

With a little kitchen science you can create long lasting snowflakes as sparkly as the real ones. Cut a white pipe cleaner into 3 equal sections. Twist the sections together in the center so that you have a "six-sided" star shape. If your points are not even, trim the pipe-cleaner sections to the same length. Now attach string along the outer edges to form a snowflake pattern. Attach a piece of string to the top of one of the pipe cleaners and tie the other end to a pencil (this is to hang it from).

Fill a wide mouth jar with boiling water. Mix borax into the water one tablespoon at a time. Use 3 tablespoons of borax per cup of water. Stir until dissolved, (don't worry if there is powder settling on the bottom of the jar). If you want you can add a little blue food coloring now to give the snowflake a bluish hue. Insert your pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the pencil is resting on the lip of the jar and the snowflake is freely suspended in the borax solution. Wait overnight and by morning the snowflake will be covered with shiny crystals. Hang in a window as a sun-catcher or use as a wintertime decoration.

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Make a Snow Gauge- Submitted by Carol

Take an old clear plastic soda pop bottle and cut off the top half. Mark the outside in centimeters or inches with a permanent laundry marker and place it outside in a place where it can collect the falling snow. Measure how much melted snow it takes to make water. Collect some snow in a container and record the level of snow on the container. Let the snow melt. How much water is there? Are you surprised at the difference?

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Sensory Table Ideas- Submitted by Carol

Fill your sensory table with white packing foam pieces and confetti. Or..... if it snows where you teach, bring in a couple of buckets of snow; put the buckets in the sensory table and have children "color" the snow. Use paintbrushes and food coloring. Tint the brush with color, and let them go!!

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Snow Writing

Cover the bottom of the sensory table with black construction paper. Pour about an inch thick of salt on top of the paper. Have the children make their own winter designs practice, numbers or letters.

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After a snowstorm, bring in a large amount of snow in big tubs. Have the children help you fill the tubs outside and carry them in. When inside, give the children watercolor painting sets and let them have fun, fun, fun. As they paint the snow, the colors will blend together. It really is lovely. Take pictures of this activity for the parents.

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Put cotton balls and glitter snow in the sensory table,
along with shovels, cups and various other items.

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Clean Mud- Submitted by Carol

6 rolls of cheap toilet paper, 2 bars ivory soap, 1 cup borax, and water.

During our center time we took turns tearing the toilet paper into small pieces-the children loved it! Use a cheese grater to grate the soap onto the toilet paper, use water to wet the paper and soap a little. Then an adult must add the borax...I did this while the children were outside so there would be no little hands in the borax. Then add more water and mush together the ingredients until it is the consistency of mud. Make sure all the borax is thoroughly wet so it will not be toxic. My children have had a blast making "clean mud snowmen".

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Use potato flakes in the sand and water table for a mountain
of snowflakes that never melt!

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For a winter activity, put shaving cream in our fluid table,
add trucks and plow those "snowy" roads.

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Saving a Snowflake- Submitted by Terri

Piece of glass, Hairspray (aerosol, NOT pump), Snow

You can have a permanent record of your caught snowflakes if you freeze a piece of glass and the hairspray before the next snowfall. (Both may be stored in the freezer until you need them.) When you're ready to collect some snowflakes, spray your chilled glass with the chilled hairspray and go outside and let some snowflakes settle on the glass. When you have enough flakes bring the glass indoors and allow it to thaw at room temperature for about 15 min. Now you have a permanent record of your snowflakes!

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Build in the Snow- Submitted by Sherry

I hope if you have snow, you know how to do this one!!! LOL Three years ago we built this elephant. Damian loved to climb on top of it:) Inside skate Have your child "skate" around inside. All you need is socks, and a floor that is not carpeted. Have fun!!!! It was also suggested to me that you can tie coloring books to your child's feet and "skate" on carpeting!

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Footprint Fun- Submitted by Sherry

On a day that the snow has just fallen, ask the children to describe the snow on the ground. The children should see that there snow is smooth, and there aren't any footprints in the snow. Have the children walk across the snow, and have them turn around and look at their footprints. Have them follow their footprints back.

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Picture Matching- Submitted by Sherry

Find snow stickers. Place 2 identical stickers on the left and right sides of an index card. Cut the index in half, cut in a jig-jag form. Use a highlighter to highlight the edges. Do this with many different stickers. Have the child match the stickers, and line up the two halves of the index card.

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Hot or Cold Weather- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out many articles from magazines that represent hot, or cold weather. Ask your child to tell you which pictures are hot weather, and which are cold weather.

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Summer or Winter Clothes- Submitted by Sherry

Gather an assortment of clothes for summer and winter seasons. Show your child each piece of clothes, and ask your child if the clothing is winter or summer clothing.

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Winter Activities- Submitted by Sherry

Ask your child what activities can be done in the summer, but not the winter. And vice versa.

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Lacing Cards- Submitted by Sherry

Cut colored posterboard into a winter shape (snowflake, snowman, mitten, hat) and punch holes around the edges. Them let your child lace yarn or a shoestring into the cards.

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Stamping Patterns- Submitted by Sherry

Use Winter Theme rubber stamps to create a simple pattern on the top half of a piece of paper. Ask your child to help you recreate the pattern on the bottom half of the paper. Tip: Start with one stamp, and have your child pick which stamp you used. Start slowly and work your way up to more complicated patterns.

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Winter Shape Match Up- Submitted by Sherry

There are many ways to set this up depending on the skill level or the particular skill you wish to work on. Try these different set ups: (Use your own Winter Shapes... mitten, hat, snowflake, etc)

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- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out Winter Shapes from different colors of paper. Give each child one Winter Shape. Ask the children to find one person with the same color Winter Shape.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out Winter Shapes from different colors of paper. Cut the Winter Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Winter Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half.

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Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Winter Shape pieces are distributed.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Winter Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Give each child one half of a Winter Shape, and ask them to find the person with the other half.

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Or Give the children two pieces and have the children make a circle, with one child that has one match on one side and the other match on the other side. You may end up with 2 or more circles depending on how the Winter Shape pieces are distributed.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Cut the Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Label one set of Winter Shapes with numbers, i.e. if you have 20 children, label the Winter Shapes with the numbers one to ten. The other half, draw one dot on one, two on another, and so on until ten. Give each child one Winter Shape and have them find the child with their match.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Cut the Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Place matching stickers on two Winter Shapes. Give each child one Winter Shape and have them find the child with their match.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Cut the Winter Shapes from one color of paper. Cut the Winter Shapes in half using a puzzle type cut, like zig zag or interlocking pieces. Place matching stickers on each half of a Winter Shape. Give each child one Winter Shape half and have them find the child with their match.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Place matching Winter stickers on separate index cards. Give each child a card and ask them to find the child with their match.

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- Submitted by Sherry

Try all the above, but in a file folder format. Glue one part of the Winter Shape to the file folder and laminate it's match.

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Winter Shape Hop- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out large Winter shapes from colored paper. Laminate them and cut them out. Place them on the floor and ask the children to hop from one Shape to another. These may also be used at seat markers for group time.

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Mitten Hide and Seek- Submitted by Sherry

Have all the children hide their eyes while you "hide" a mitten in the room. (It should be placed in plain view) Tell the children to find the mitten, but not touch it. Once they spot it they should sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again will get to hide the mitten.

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Mitten Hide and Seek- Submitted by Sherry

Play the game the same as above, except hide the mitten. Then tell the children individually whether they are "hot" or "cold" to the relation of the mitten. Allow the other children to have a change to hide the mitten, and tell children whether they are "hot or cold". It may be a good idea to discuss the meaning of hot and cold before you play this game.

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Winter Shape Fishing Game- Submitted by Sherry

Tie 3 feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different colored, and Winter Shapes from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each Winter Shape. Spread the Winter Shapes on the floor and let your child try to catch the Winter Shape. Have them try to catch the star or the biggest tree. For a twist, label the Winter Shapes with letters or numbers.

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Winter Shaped Games- Submitted by Sherry

The following games require you to cut out many different winters Shapes from construction paper. You may choose to laminate these Winter Shapes so they last longer.

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Mitten Sizing- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out many different sized Mittens. Ask the children to line up
the mittens from largest to smallest.

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Hat Sizing- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out many different sized hats. Ask the children to line up
the hats from largest to smallest.

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Snowflake Sizing- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out many different sized snowflakes. Ask the children to line up
the snowflakes from largest to smallest.

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Hat, Mitten, Snowflake Numbers- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out ten shapes. Number them one to ten. Ask the children to line up
the shapes from one to ten.

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Winter Shape Colors- Submitted by Sherry

Ask the children to sort the shapes by color.

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Hat and Mitten Sort- Submitted by Sherry

Supply the children with plenty of hat and mitten shapes of many sizes and colors. Ask the children to sort the shapes by size, color or type.

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Build a Snowman- Submitted by Sherry

Supply the children with three white felt circles of different sizes, and other pieces for the features.. like an orange triangle for the nose, black circles for the eyes and buttons, a hat. Invite the children to make a snowman out of the pieces.

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Sensory Snow- Submitted by Sherry

Place some snow in your sand and water table for the children to experience.

*Supply the children with some snow and a balance or scale

*Look at a snowflake under a microscope

*Make snowcones (not with real snow)

*Watch snow melt

*Time how long it takes one tablespoon of snow to melt, compare that to the time it will take one cup of snow to melt.

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What Time is it Jack Frost?- Submitted by Sherry

Played like "What time is it Mr.Fox?"

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Pretend to be a Snowflake- Submitted by Sherry

Ask the children to pretend to be a graceful snowflake falling from the sky. You could even play soothing music for them to dance to.

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Sledding- Submitted by Sherry

Provide the children with a sled and pull them around on it. Can you say "exercise"? LOL

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Melting- Submitted by Sherry

Have the children pretend they are a snowman that is melting.

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Matching Mittens- Submitted by Cheryl

Cut pairs of mittens out of different textured fabrics. Mix up the shapes and put them in a basket. Hang a clothesline between two chairs and clip clothespins to it. Let children take turns finding the matching mitten shapes and hang them together on the line.

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Science Activity for Mittens- Submitted by Cheryl

Have the children time how long they can hold an ice cube with bare hands and with different types of mittens and gloves on. Lots of fun and laughter with this activity!

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Mitten Math- Submitted by Lisa in VA

There is a page divided in 6-8 sections. Each section has 2 mittens and __ + ___ = __ directly under the mittens. Children roll two dice and draw dots in each of the mittens. They then write the corresponding numbers and count all the dots to get an answer. They can check their partners paper.

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Water/Ice Experiment- Submitted by Lisa in VA

I took a glass jar and filled it with water. I added a bit of blue food coloring so we could see the water better (mark the water level on the side of the jar). We predicted what would happen if we put it in the freezer for a week then we tried it (note: put the jar of water in a plastic bowl or on a plate so it won't make a mess). On Friday we took it out of the freezer. The jar was cracked and the water was frozen.

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Snow Experiment- Submitted by Lisa in VA

Another science experiment entailed seeing what would happen if we took a bowl of snow and brought it inside (mark the level of the snow on the side of the container). As always we predict first and then do the experiment. Followed, of course, by discussing the results.

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Freezer Experiment- Submitted by Lisa in VA

Try putting different things in the freezer (jello, oil, water, liquid soap, honey, milk) and observe the results.

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Science Lab- Submitted by Lisa in VA

I had four stations for the kids to rotate through. The stations were:

1. Using thermometers to measure the temperature in four cups (ice water, hot water, snow tap water) The children needed to sequence the containers from coldest to warmest.

2. Weighing and comparing snow and water.

3. Does salt really melt snow? They used snow and salt and mixed it up to see if the snow would melt faster.

4. Attempting to pick an ice cube up with a string (lay the string on top of the ice cube, sprinkle salt on top and wait a minute). It was cute, but only a few of my kids could do it. We talked about how the salt melted the ice then it re froze around the string.

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Penguin Bowling or Ice Bowling- Submitted by Christi

Use a 2-liter bottle. Wrap it with black construction paper. On the front of the bottle make a body and head out of white construction paper. Draw eyes on the head with a black marker. Use orange construction paper triangles to make the beak. Use orange construction paper to make the feet and glue at the bottom of the bottle. Cut the toe out of bright colored sock. Put the sock on the top of the bottle using a rubber band to hold it in place. From the toe to the neck of the bottle cut strips in the sock. Turn the strips down and you have its hat. Use soft balls to roll and try to knock the penguin down. (You can pretend they are snowballs.)

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SnowFlake Game- Submitted by Christi

Blow up 1 white balloon for each child and pretend that theses are snowflakes. Can you keep your snowflake in the air?? The children also love this one.

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Freeze! Melt!- Submitted by Christi

Before you play, make a large sun & a large snowflake. Discuss cold weather where all freezes and how the sun's heat makes the air warm & things move around. Hold up the sun to move slowly & the snowflake to "freeze."

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Mystery Mittens- Submitted by Cheryl

Here's a fun mitten-related activity that will stimulate visual imagery and increase each child's awareness of his sense of touch. Gather several Large adult mittens. (If mittens are not available, make mittens by sewing or hot gluing fabric mitten cutouts together.) Place a small object- such as a toy car, plastic animals, roll doll, or pinecone-inside each mitten. Ask the children to try to figure out what is inside each mitten by feeling the object from the outside of the mitten. Then have each child reach into each mitten and feel the object insdie. Ask youngsters if they would like to change their guesses or stick with their original ones. Afterward, reveal the objects and discuss the children's guesses versus the actual objects.

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Mitten Toss- Submitted by Cheryl

Make mismatched mittens made into bean bags. Draw a large "hand" target and post it on a fence or wall. Have the children try to hit it.

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Observing Snowflakes- Submitted by Sherry

When looking at a yard full of snow, it is hard for children to discover the beauty of a single flake. Give your child a piece of black paper and let her go outside when it is snowing and catch a few. Then give her a magnifying glass and encourage her to observe the shape and uniqueness of her snowflakes. Explain to her that snowflakes are frozen water drops.

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Snow Experiment- Submitted by Sherry

Try a simple experiment with your child. Have him collect two cups full of snow. Have him bring them into the house and place one in the refrigerator and one in the kitchen. Have your child observe the two cups every two hours. Have him put into words what is happening to the two cups of snow.

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Measuring Snow- Submitted by Sherry

Children love to play in the snow and they also love to measure snow. Give your child a long ruler or yard stick and let her measure the snow outside each day. Help her keep a written record or graph.

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Snowy Windows- Submitted by Sherry

You can simulate snow any time by letting your child paint a window or mirror with a special crystal paint. Just mix ½ cup water, with ½ cup Epson salts (available at drug stores). When the mixture dries it will form crystals on the surface simulating snow or frost.

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SnowBall Walk And Toss- Submitted by Sherry

Give your child a paper plate with three cotton ball "snowballs" on it and place a basket on the other side of the room. Have your child balance the snowballs on the plate while walking carefully over to the basket. Let your child toss the snowballs into the basket before returning for more.

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Counting Cotton Balls- Submitted by Sherry

Give your child a bag of cotton balls and five baggies with number labels on them. Number the bags with numerals such as 3, 6, 10. Then have him fill the bags with that number of cotton balls.

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Counting Pairs- Submitted by Sherry

Go through your house and dig up five pairs of gloves or mittens. Mix them up and give them to your child. First, have her sort the mittens into pairs, then have her count for you how many pairs, then how many individual mittens.

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Counting Snowmen- Submitted by Sherry

If you are lucky enough to live in a snow filled environment, count snowmen when out driving.

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Counting Buttons- Submitted by Sherry

Winter is usually a time of heavy clothing with lots of buttons. Go on a button search with your child. Have him count how many buttons they have on, then count how many buttons you have on. Who has on the most?

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Snow Shapes- Submitted by Sherry

Have your children follow you as you stomp out shapes in the snow.

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Paper Shapes- Submitted by Sherry

Using a lightweight piece of cardboard, cut out some circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. Dress boxes and cereal boxes work great. Place the shapes in a zipper bag and place them on a table. Encourage your child to use the shapes to make simple shape pictures.

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Shape Train- Submitted by Sherry

You can make your child a simple shape dominoes game by cutting out 24 cardboard rectangles (1"x2") Divide each rectangle strip in half and draw a shape on each side. Start with four simple shapes, such as circles, squares, hearts and triangles. Be sure to put each shape on 12 sides of the dominoes. Play the shape game with your child by dividing the domino cards between yourself and your child. Next, one of you starts by laying out a domino. The next player must hook onto the first domino by matching one side of another domino with one of the sides laid down first. Continue taking turns forming a line of dominoes (like hooking onto a train). If a player can not make a match, they lose their turn. The player who uses up all of his cards first, wins.

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Keeping Hands Toasty- Submitted by Sherry

Let your children experiment with various materials to discover which ones might work well for making mittens and which might not. Provide such materials as plastic wrap, aluminum foil, tissue paper, terrycloth, wool fabric, and fleece. Have the children hold an ice cube wrapped in each of the materials. Which ones keep their hands warm? Which do not?

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Mitten Hunt- Submitted by Sherry

Collect one pair of mittens for each child in your group. Secretly hide one mitten from each pair and give each of your children one of the other mittens to put on a hand. Invite the children to search for their matching mittens and put them on their other hands.

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What´s A Pair?- Submitted by Sherry

Set out an assortment of items that come in pairs (mittens, socks, gloves, castanets, etc.). Arrange the pair of items in the center of the circle. Ask you children to tell you how many items are in each set. What does pair mean? How many items are in a pair? Invite your children to name other things that come in pairs.

Extension: Show your children some scissors and a pair of jeans. Why are these called a pair? What do they have two of?

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Mitten Match- Submitted by Sherry

Use real mittens. Hang a clothesline with spring loaded clothespins between two chairs. Clip one mitten from each pair onto the clothesline. Put the mitten mates in a bag. Hold up the bag. Have a child come up and pull one mitten out of the bag. Have the child look at the mittens hanging on the clothesline and find the mitten that matches the one that he/she is holding. Have him/her clip it next to the matching one. Continue until all the mittens have been matched.

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Mitten, Hat, or Snowflake Sizing- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out many different sized Mittens, Hats, or Snowflakes. Ask the children to line them up from largest to smallest.

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Hat, Mitten, Snowflake Numbers- Submitted by Sherry

Cut out ten shapes. Number them one to ten. Ask the children to line up the shapes from one to ten.

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Hat and Mitten Sort- Submitted by Sherry

Supply the children with plenty of hat and mitten shapes of many sizes and colors. Ask the children to sort the shapes by size, color or type.

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Driving On Ice- Submitted by Cheryl

Fill three jellyroll pans with water and freeze the day before this activity is planned. Gather small match-box car, spoons, salt and sand. Have children try to drive the cars over the ice. What Happens? Spoon salt over one sheet of ice and sand over another. What happens when the children try to drive the cars over these surfaces? What implications can be drawn for driving on ice. The kids love this activity!

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Aim and Toss- Submitted by Sherry

White plastic-foam balls make fun and safe snowballs. On a table, stack a pyramid of paper cups and let your children take turns tossing the snowballs at the cups to knock them down. Encourage the children to stand farther away as their skill increases.

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Mitten Matching- Submitted by Sherry

Make sets of mittens and have children match them. You could also do this with real mittens!

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Pin the nose on Frosty- Submitted by Sherry

Make a game, where the children are pinning carrot noses on a snowman.

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Snowball Shoot- Submitted by Sherry

Students are sure to enjoy slam-dunking snowballs in this game that focuses on hand-eye coordination skills. Make several beanbag snowballs by using a funnel to partially fill white balloons with rice. Knot the end of each balloon. Set three different colors of laundry baskets or large tubs in a row on the floor. Invite a child to stand a specified distance away. Have him name a color, then throw a snowball into the corresponding basket.

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Exploring Ice- Submitted by Sherry

Freeze water in different kinds of containers to make various ice shapes. Place the shapes in one or two plastic dishpans filled with water and let your children play with them. Point out how the ice shapes float . Can the children make them sink? Ask, "Does the water become warmer or colder as the ice melts?"

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Categorizing Snowmen- Submitted by Cheryl

Cut several snow people shapes of assorted sizes out of white poster board or felt. Decorate the shapes as desired. Give the shapes to your children and invite them to line up the snow people on a table or a flannel board from smallest to largest or from largest to smallest---or any other way of categorizing them that you might wish to use, such as: color, texture, etc.

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Exploring Ice- Submitted by Cheryl

Freeze water in different kinds of containers to make various ice shapes. Place the shapes in one or two plastic dishpans filled with water and let the children play with them. Point out how the ice shapes float. Ask: Can you make them sink? Does the water become warmer or colder as the ice melts?

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