Outdoor Snow Props- Submitted by Sherry

Bathtub Sled:

Use a plastic infant bathtub for a sled. Its sides will keep a small child from falling out, and it will not go too fast. Punch a hole in the rim and attach a rope if desired.

Cardboard Sled:

Cut a large rectangle out of a sturdy piece of cardboard. Let a child use the cardboard rectangle like a sled.

Dishpan Sled:

Use a dishpan for a sled. Attach a rope to the rim of the tub for a handle, if desired.

Inner Tube Sled:

Fin an old inner tube and fill it with air. Use the inner tube sled on a gently sloping hill.

Kitchen Molds:

Use gelatin molds and plastic containers for winter fun. Let the children pack them with snow to make three-dimensional shapes.

Plastic Tray Sleds:

Collect plastic trays. Let the children use them for sledding.

Spray Bottles:

Fill spray bottles with water and add food coloring. Let the children spray the colored water on the snow to make designs.

*****

Snow File Folder Games- Submitted by Carol

Match the correct number of "snowflakes" (cotton balls) to the corresponding "snowball". (Cut 10 shapes resembling large snowballs. Glue onto blue paper. Write a numeral of 1-10 on each one. Laminate, if possible.) Child can do this activity in a Math Center or in a small group.

Sequence 10 "snowballs" (white paper cut into snowball shapes and laminated for durability) from large to small.

*****

Centers- Submitted by Carol

Making Snow People

Make play dough ahead of time. Do not add any food coloring- leave it white. Add the playdough to the sensory table along with small pebbles, fabric, sticks, buttons and scarfs. Allow the children to make snow people any way they wish.

Snowman Math

Ahead of time you will need to cut out ten snowmen from white construction paper. Mount each to tagboard, add scarves, twigs for arms and a hat numbered 1-10. Laminate the snowmen for durability. Provide a container with 55 buttons, have the children decorate the snowmen with corresponding number on hat.

Mitten Match

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.

*****

Snow Outside Activities- Submitted by Carol

Observe snowflakes with magnifying glass.

Make snowman & snow angels.

Throw snowballs.

Paint on the snow with paintbrushes and food coloring and water or put it in spray bottles.

If there is enough snow, make a pathway with a shovel for the children to run around.

*****

Large Motor Skills- Submitted by Carol

Have an indoor snowball fight!

(Even in areas where there is no snow!) On the day of the "fight", read The Snowball War. Then show the children the "snowballs" -- which are really marshmallows! Estimate how many snowballs are in a package. Then count the actual number of snowballs and divide the class into two teams.

Rules for the fight:

1. No throwing hard. 2. No climbing (to get a snowball that is out of reach). 3. No eating snowballs. (have an extra package of "snowballs" to share after the fight.)

Set the timer for ten minutes and the war begins. When the timer rings, find all the "snowballs". Since you know how many you had to start out, you know how many you have to find. After you have found all the snowballs you can, have the children dictate to you a language experience story, then type on the computer and photocopy for each child to take home.

Pretend to be a Snowflake

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.

Indoor Snowball Fight

Are your children bored and unable to go outside due to bad weather? Have an "indoor snowball fight" with wadded up tissue paper! It'll wear off some energy and everyone will have a good time!!

SnowFlake Game

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

Snowball Vocabulary Game

make a snowball out of white yarn. When it gets tossed to you, you have to say a winter word.

Indoor Snowball Toss

In an indoor play area set out a large sheet or parachute having children hold edges. Put cotton balls (snowballs) on the sheet or parachute and let children toss them with the sheet untill all the snowballs are on the floor. Let them continue to toss, and catch the snowballs.

*****

Small Motor Skills- Submitted by Carol

Shaving Cream Snow

Let the children play with shaving cream and pretend it is snow. They pile it up and make snowmen and all sorts of creations.

E-Z Building with Sugar Lumps!

During this easy winter activity young children use small motor skills.

White sugar lumps.

Description: The children pretend they are snowmen, ice blocks etc. They build igloos with the white sugar cubes that the teacher has put out on trays. It is a wonderful winter activity.

Fishing For Ice Cubes

During this preschool winter activity pre-k children use visual motor and eye hand coordination skills.

Ice cubes, water table, strainers, spoons and buckets, etc.

Float the colored ice cubes in the water. Let the children use the various items to fish for the cubes. They can place them in the buckets and when done place them back into the water.

Counting Activity: "Snow Peanuts"

The following preschool education activity can be used to help teach counting. Teachers may provide young children with 16 oz. plastic cups and ask them to count how many "snow peanuts" it takes to fill their cups. Since pre-k children wear mittens during this winter activity, picking up the "snow peanuts" also presents a motor skill challenge.

Snowball Soap

Get some ivory soap and soak it in water over night, then break it into halves. Give it to the children to mold like playdough into a snowball. When it dries it flakes up like a real snowball. You can put it into a sandwich bag to send home with a poem that reads:

My snowball soap,
I made it just for you.
To help me learn about Winter,
And keep my hands clean too!

Follow-Up To Snowball Fight

Use cotton balls for an indoor snowstorm. For cleanup, use tweezers, clothespins or loops of masking tape to prolong interest and add some more fine motor exercise.

*****

Winter Bulletin Board Idea- Submitted by Lisa in VA

White form board (enough to make a three snow ball snowman), Craft Foam in all colors, Velcro, Sentence strips

Cut the snow man form from the white form board. Cut out different color mittens, hats, eyes, scarves, buttons, mouths and cut out different veggies for the nose. Put velcro on both the snowman and his pieces. Once done write on sentence strips. Put _________ mittens on the snowman. Put ________ eyes on the snowman, etc. Change the colors every day and the students can practice colors by changing the snowman according to the directions!

Winter Bulletin Board Idea- Submitted by Lisa in VA

Make a big snowman from blue paper. Have each child dip their hands in white paint and add their hand print to the snowman. Then you can do a writing project on snowman shaped paper How we lend a helping hand.

*****

Winter Learning Centers- Submitted by Sherry

Building Area:

Encourage children to make homes for winter animal toys, such as penguins, polar bears, and seals that you put into the area. Provide white Styrofoam shapes to use as icy building blocks. Styrofoam packing pieces can serve as snow for toy construction vehicles to load, push, plow, and dump.

Manipulative Area:

Knead iridescent glitter into white play dough for a glistening, snowy effect. Provide a snowman cookie cutter or a round cutter that children can use to create their own snowman forms. Set out a variety of decorative items, such as colored aquarium rocks and twigs, for embellishing the snow figures. Add winter puzzles to the area, along with an assortment of white beads and white laces for stringing.

Writing Center:

Encourage children to draw snowmen using assorted circle stencils. Provide a supply of dark paper and white crayons (or chalk) for drawing snowy scenes. Make vocabulary cards for winter thematic words, such as mitten, snow, sled, and ice. Make a pointer by gluing a wooden Christmas ornament to the tip of a wooden dowel for students to use as they read a favorite winter rhyme or fingerplay you've written on a chart.

Housekeeping Area:

Add plenty of winter dress-up clothes and accessories. If your area is large enough, consider dividing it in half. On one side create an outdoor scene by covering the floor with a white sheet. Add a sled; a small, artificial tree; and some sock snowballs. On the other side, arrange the furniture cozily around an imitation fireplace made by covering the back of a bookshelf with brick-patterned background paper. Stock the kitchen with warm foods and the cookware needed to prepare them-such as plastic mugs, spoons, a container of hot cocoa, a kettle, soup cans, bowls, pots, and a Thermos.

Painting Center:

Invite children to fingerpaint on cookie sheets using whipped cream or shaving cream. Add snowflake sponges for printing on a supply of dark-colored construction paper. Stir sparkly glitter into white paint for shimmering, snowy designs.

Discovery Center:

Bring in a snowball from outside or an ice cube from the freezer. Set it in a pie plate and invite students to observe and describe what happens.

Game Center:

Label each of five snowman cutouts with a different numeral from one to five. Direct a student to place the correct number of cotton balls on each cutout.

Art Center:

Add lots of white materials, such as doilies, cotton balls, coffee liners, dried beans, felt, yarn, Styrofoam, and tissue paper for interesting texture collages.

Sand/Water Table:

Fill the table with crushed ice, white confetti, or mounds of shaving cream. Let little ones explore using shovels and buckets.

Click on the Snowman Below to go back
to the Main PnF Winter Theme and Curriculum Page