I have two bright eyes so I can see
(Point to eyes.)
All the snow falling down on me.
(Flutter fingers downward.)
When the weather's cold I'm strong and tall,
(Stand up tall.)
But when it's warm I get very small.
(Crouch down low.)

Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around,
Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground
Snowflakes, snowflakes, in the air
Snowflakes, snowflakes, everywhere
Snowflakes, snowflakes, dance around
Snowflakes, snowflakes, touch the ground.

Snow is falling on the ground
We can make things all around
Like snowmen, snowballs
Snow forts, too.
There are lots of things to do.
Snow is falling come and see
You can have some fun with me
Sliding, skating, skiing, too,
There are lots of things to do.

I am a little snowman.
I am so fat and round.
I started from a snowflake
That fell upon the ground.

I have two buttons for my eyes,
A great big scarf of red,
I have a carrot for a nose,
A hat upon my head.

Watch
    me
      as
        I
          melt
            to
              the
                ground.

Snowflakes, Snowflakes
(Tune: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Snowflakes falling
One by one,
Time to play and have some fun.Build a snowman
Snowballs, too,
Come and see what you can do.
Snowflakes falling
One by one,
Time to play and have some fun.

Shared Reading

Jack  Frost

Jack Frost is a fairy small.
I'm sure he is out today.
He nipped my nose,
And pinched my toes
When I went out to play.

Day 1: introduce poem, invite predictions, discuss the message
Day 2: read poem together, discuss new/interesting vocabulary; discuss who Jack Frost is, whether or not they think he is real, and if he really causes cold weather; define "nipped".
Day 3: read poem together, use poem to introduce or reinforce any new print concepts; review sight words "is," "he," "my," "and," "to".
Day 4: read poem together, move/stamp/clap/snap to the rhythm, reinforce print concepts; introduce the -ed ending and how it can sometimes sound like /t/ in words like "nipped" and "pinched".
Day 5: add poem to poetry journal, then illustrate and "highlight" (with yellow crayon) known sight words as well as the ending -ed.

Guided Reading


Snow Joe
by Carlo Greene
(Rookie Reader)
also available as a Big Book

Try this book for reviewing rhyming words. The simple text makes it perfect for emerging readers. (Level B)

Independent
Reading

Level A
Snowman (Rigby)
Snowman (Wright)
The Snow (Wright)
Snow (Wright)

Level B
The Snowman (Rigby)
Benchmark Book: The Snowman (Rigby)
Snowball Fight (Rigby)
A Snowman (Wright)
Snowball Fight (Wright)

Level C
I Feel Cold (Rigby)
Winter (Rigby)
When It Snowed (Rigby)
The Little Snowman (Rigby)
I Like Winter (Rigby)
Snow (Wright)

Shared Writing

Ask the children to brainstorm their favorite winter activities.  Create a class predictable book of "Winter Fun".  Fill in predictable sentences and illustrate.  Turn it into a class book....practice reading strategies and sight words!

   Sample sentence:  __________likes to ___________. or (name) likes to skate.

Interactive
Writing

Brainstorm a list of "Winter Words" and post somewhere in your room on large chart paper so the children can copy a word or two when writing. If you write the words on a specially shaped piece of paper it makes it even more interesting and exciting

Independent Writing

Journal Topics:
*In the winter, I can see....
*Draw a snowman.
*Draw snowflakes.
*Draw icicles.
*What do you like to do in the winter?
*What do you like to eat in the winter?
*Draw an animal hibernating in the winter.
*Draw geese migrating for the winter.
*Draw Jack Frost creating a wintry scene.

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.

Snowball Catch

Cardboard egg carton
Marker
Cotton balls
Index cards

Write numbers in the bottom of each section of the egg carton. Have each child put one snowball (cotton ball) in the egg carton. Close the cover and shake it. Then open it up and see which number it landed in. Then have them count out that many snowballs.

Snowman
Estimation

Make snowmen out of paper plates and glue cotton balls to the plates.  Ask the students to estimate how many cotton balls they think they will need
OR
Estimate marshmallows.

Snow Graphs  

*Do a yes/no graph to "Have you ever thrown a snowball?"
*Make a graph of the children's favorite winter activities.

Snow Prediction
and Graphing

You can experiment with your class by having students make snowballs (some small, some medium, some large) at recess and placing them in ziploc bags.  After recess, have your students predict what will happen. You may even want to place some near a heat source for more challenging predictions.  Have students predict how long it will take for the different sized snowballs to melt.  Record the student generated predictions on a graph in one color marker, and the actual results on the graph in another color marker.

Driving On Ice

  Fill three jellyroll pans with water and freeze the day before this activity is planned.  Gather small match-box cars, 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?

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 scarves.  Allow the children to make snow people any way they wish.

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.

Painting With Ice

Freeze colored ice cubes.  Have the children paint with these at center time on large pieces of butcher paper.
 

Making
a Snowman

Need: one cup of ivory soap flakes, water, mixing bowl, egg beater and an outline of a snowman on colored construction paper.

Directions: Mix the soap flakes and water in a bowl until frothy and thick. (children assist or watch) Each child receives a drawing of a snowman. A little of the white soap mix is spooned on it. The child then spreads it all over the outline.

Snowman
Stamping Technique

Need: packing bubbles, paint, dark paper

Directions: Use packing bubbles to make a snowman. Cut the bubbles in to a snowman shape, then the kids paint the bumpy side with white tempera and press onto dark paper.

Writing Center

*stamp/illustrate winter words: ice, icicle, snowflake, snowman, sled, mitten, jacket, scarf, cold
*prompts: "In the winter, I wear..."  
  "Winter is..."    

Construction Center

Build structures using toothpicks and marshmallows.  Try packing peanuts or Styrofoam balls, etc.

Glittery
Snowflakes

Mix two parts glue to one part water.  Dab snowflake shaped sponges into the glue mixture and place onto blue construction paper.  Have the children shake glitter on top of their snowflakes.  Set aside to dry.

Snowflakes

Cut a green pepper in half crosswise.  Let the children dip the pepper into white paint and press down onto dark colored construction paper.  Add glitter or embossing glitter for texture before the paint dries.

Frosty
Winter Scenes

Mix an equal part of Epsom salts and boiling water together. Mix the mixture well and set aside to cool.  Have the children draw with crayons on dark colored construction paper any winter scene of their choice.  After the children are finished drawing, paint a light coat of the mixture over the drawing for a frosty appearance.  It turns frosty only after drying.
 

Newspaper Snowmen

Out of newspaper draw a snowperson shape. Make sure that you have two shapes when you trace and cut.  Let the children decide on the size.  Have the children paint the snow people white,.making sure to paint both sides.  After drying have the children help you staple the two sides together, leave a opening so you can stuff.  Stuff the snow person using more paper.  Finish stapling the rest of the figure.  Add scarves out of scraps of fabric and put out a variety of other materials for eyes, nose, mouth,and buttons. 

Coffee Filter
Snowflakes

Need: Coffee Filter, Scissors, Blue Tempera paint, water, and a paint brush.

Directions: Take some blue paint and water it down. Then paint a coffee filter with the paint. Once it dries fold it in half, then in half again, and then in half one more time. Cut it like you would a snowflake. When you open it will look like a blue tie dyed snowflake. Looks great in a window

Glistening Snowflake

Need: tape, doily, paper plate, paint brush, paint, silver glitter

Directions: Lightly tape a doily to a paper plate. Use a paintbrush to gently dab blue tempera all over the doily. While paint is still wet, remove the doily. Sprinkle silver glitter on the wet paint. Shake off excess glitter and cut around the pattern.

Icicles

Need: paper, white paint, iridescent glitter, scissors

Directions: Finger paint with white tempera on a sheet of art paper.  Before the paint dries, have each child sprinkle his paper with clear or iridescent glitter.  After the paint is dry, cut one long edge of each paper into jagged icicle shapes.  Mount the straight edge of each at the top of cubbies or tables.

Pass the Ice Cube.
(Tune: Row Row Row Your Boat)

Pass, Pass, Pass the Ice Cube
Pass it very fast.
Pass, Pass, Pass, Pass
How long will it last?

 Sit in a circle and pass two ice cubes around as you sing the song.  Help the children to discover that the ice cube is melting. They will learn their warm hands had heat that could melt ice too! And yes..keep on singing and passing until those ice cubes disappear!

Snowman Mobile

Need: paper, string

Directions: Make a large circle out of white construction paper, a medium size circle then a smaller one for the head. Draw on a piece of paper, twigs for arms, eyes, buttons, hat/scarf, carrot for a nose. Punch a hole on the top of the bottom circle and attach with white string to the middle hole. Attach another string from the middle circle to the head. Glue on the eyes, nose and arms.
This poem can be used with mobile:

I built a little snowman
Who had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny
And what do you suppose?
That funny little bunny,
While searching for some lunch,
Ate that snowman's nose,
Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Snowball
On A Spoon

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.

 Snowballs
in the Bucket.

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

Snowflake
Headbands

Need: paper, stickers, stamps, or crayons, white doilies, glue

Directions: Take a long strip of 3" wide paper decorated it with stamps, stickers, or crayons. Cut up small pieces of a white doilies. Glue the dollies to the strip. When dry fit around the child's head and tape or glue.

ABC Snowman

Cut 26 circles for each child and write an upper and lower case letter on each one. Place these in a ziplock bag with the child's name. Give each child a white circle and materials such as construction paper, fabric, etc. to make a snowman's face. During free play, call each child individually to see how many letters they know. These are then stapled to the snowman's head. Each letter they know becomes a "belly" on their snowmen!

Inside an Igloo

Need: blue and white paper, glue, scissors, and markers or crayons

Directions:  Cut out an igloo shape on  the blue paper. Make the igloo almost as big as the entire paper. Cut doors that can be opened up (like barn doors.). Glue it down to the white paper- make sure that you don't glue the doors shut! The children draw igloo patterns (ice blocks) on their igloo and draw a picture of what should be inside/or might be inside an igloo. Write underneath their writing and put the caption "Inside (child's name)'s igloo..."

Snowflakes

Need: Magnifying glass, cardboard, dark colored felt (black is best), a freezer, and a snowy day

If it snows where you live, let the children examine snowflakes with a magnifying glass.  The best way to catch snowflakes is to wrap some black felt on a piece of cardboard.  Place the felt board in the freezer for a bit.  (Snowflakes will last longer if they are caught on a cold surface).
Go outside while it is snowing and place the cardboard where it will collect snow.   When you examine the snowflakes, help the children to observe the snowflakes and notice unique differences. No two snowflakes are alike!

Ice Caverns

Need: Blocks of ice, Kitchen baster or eye droppers, Measuring Pitcher, 1/4 C warm water, 1/2 C salt, Food coloring (optional)

A day before the activity, freeze water in large containers. (gallon ice cream jugs or dishpans work great) On the day of the experiment, thaw the ice enough to dump on a tray or into a large pan. Mix warm water and salt, add food coloring if desired. Let the children use the baster to squirt small amounts of the salt solution onto the ice. Try to have them use large and small amounts and ask them what they see. Have the children watch the ice crack and form caverns. If you use colors the colors will mix as the solution eats into the ice.

Frozen Bubbles

When the temperature dips below the freezing point, many changes occur in our environment; water turns to ice, and rain turns to snow.  Let your children experience some of the changes by taking part in the following activity on a winter day.
Chill containers of bubble solution in the refrigerator. When the temperature is below freezing, take your children outside to blow bubbles.  Have your children observe the bubbles closely as they blow.  They will notice ice crystals forming on the surfaces of the bubbles.  What happens when the bubbles pop? (They shatter)

The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats

   After reading the story, have the students create a winter picture by drawing with white crayon or chalk on white construction paper.  Wash over their drawings with diluted blue tempera.  (crayon resist)

Polar Bear,
Polar Bear,
What Do You Hear?
by Bill Martin and Eric Carle

   Play listening games after reading this book. Put a large box, turned sideways, in front of you.  Then, place different objects in the box (bell, two blocks, sandpaper, etc.)  Make the sound and ask the children to guess what it is. When the listening game is over, rewrite the story using the children's names.
EX: Kimberly, Kimberly, what do you hear?