Activities for Teachers of Young Children
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Preschool Activities for Winter
Counting: Snowmen Song
Music, movement and melting all in this action winter song by Melissa.
Ten happy
snowmen dancing all around.
Dancing
all around (spin
in place).
Ten
happy snowmen dancing all around,
The
sun came out and one melted to the ground (make
sun with arms,
one slides to the ground).
Nine....
Eight.... Seven.... and so on.
No little
snowmen dancing in the sun.
First
there were ten and now there are none!
You can
do ten for the 4's and do just five for the 3 year old children.
Comments:
The children love dancing all around!
Art Activity: Puff Paint Snow
Children
from pre-k through second grade can enjoy this creative shared by Luauna.
Just remember to keep the shaving cream out of little eyes, it stings.
Materials: Turquoise blue construction paper, snowman shape (I use the Elison snowman), collage materials, shaving cream and glue.
Description: Have children decorate a snowman with the collage materials; wiggly eyes, buttons, foam shapes, ribbon, etc. Glue to blue paper. Mix equal parts of shaving cream and Elmer's glue. Have the children use popsicle sticks, q-tips, plastic spoons, etc. to add the mixture around their snowman and make hills of snow and snow falling from the sky. When the mixture is dry, it makes beautiful puffy snow.
Lots of Art Recipes and Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.
Snowball
Soap
Nana W. shares
this fine motor winter activity and her creative rhyme saying, "I
made this up. I hope you like it, my kids do!"
"Teachers 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:
Handwashing Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.My snowball soap,
I made it just for you.
To help me learn about Winter,
And keep my hands clean too!
Valentine
Tips
Jamey C, an
early childhood education teacher from Florida, shares this preschool education
idea.
Make "squishy" bags:
Add red and white paint to SEALED zip locked baggies. Let students rub
bags to mix paint into pink. Let students discuss and tell their discoveries
as it happens.
More Valentine
ideas and activities are in the Rainbow
Resource Room.
Cooking: Popcorn Snowmen
Elaine H. shares
this delicious preschool education winter treat saying, "I teach 3 - 5
year old preschoolers at Northside in Cincinnati, Ohio. An activity
for nutrition that I do with my class is to make Popcorn Snowmen. This
activity involves motor skills and the concept of larger and smaller while
also helping to distinguish body parts."
You will need:
Popcorn, marshmallows,
butter, raisins (for the eyes and buttons), and gumdrops (for the hat).
Descriptions: "Pop the popcorn and melt the butter and marshmallows (just as you would for making rice krispie treats). Once the butter and marshmallows are melted pour the mixture over the popcorn and mix well.
After the mixture has cooled, have the children take two handfuls of the mixture, one smaller than the other, then shape them into circles and place the smaller circle on top of the larger one, then they can decorate their snowmen with the raisins and gumdrops. Use wax paper to put the snowmen on. The children will love the sticky texture and the smell."
More
popcorn activities are in the the Rainbow Resource
Room
Science Activity: A Melting Snowman
Thanks Suzanne
T. from Palm Bay Elementary School for sharing this inventive early
childhood education activity, and writing: "I live in Florida where it
makes it a challenge for children to understand an abstract concept
such as a snowman. Here is how to make a snowman in Florida."
Materials:
3 large balloons
1 large bowl
1 medium bowl
1 small bowl
salt
water table
or large plastic container
accessories
for snowman (hat, scarf)
felt cut into
shapes for eyes, nose, mouth and buttons
Procedure:
Fill the balloons
with water so each one will fit into the bowls. Freeze until solid. (takes
12-24 hours) Remove the balloon pieces and take the solid ice balls and
place them one on top of the other by placing the largest one inside the
water table and the other two balls on top. Use salt on the bottom of the
table and in between the ice
balls to help them fuse together. Now add the felt pieces (they stick right
on the ice) as well as the other accessories. This makes an adorable little
snowman that the children can watch melt."
Literacy
and Art: Snowy Day Picture
Lisa G. from
the LABBB Early Childhood Preschool Program in Burlington, MA combines
an award winning book with an early childhood education art activity and
writes... "I teach in a integrated preschool program. All the teachers
have "stolen" this idea from each other because it works so well, no matter
what the age or skill level of the children. Each child can be successful,
and each picture is unique."
"Read A Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats, then create a
SNOWY DAY PICTURE
Materials: Light blue construction paper, glue stick, black crayon, a mixture of Epsom salts and water (approx. 1 teaspoon to 1/3 cup water per child) with brushes. Have pre made red "Peter" shapes cut out, very simple outline (check out the book cover)
Description: Provide
light blue paper for the children. Show them how to draw a
wavy line with a black
crayon across the paper for the snow, then glue the Peter shape on.
Have the children embellish the picture with something they remember from
the book: Peter hitting a tree with a stick, dragging a stick in
the snow, throwing a snowball, etc. When their picture is completed, have
them brush a mixture of Epsom salts and water across their picture.
When it dries, it will
glisten lightly, as
if in a snowy haze.
Lots of books about Winter are listed in Preschool Books.
Lots of Art Recipes and Activities are in the Rainbow Resource Room.
Science:
Melting Experiment #1
Preschool children
will use the scientific skills of observation, prediction and evaluation
for this melting experiment.
You will need:
Paper cups and plates,
plastic containers, aluminum foil, plastic wrap,
cloth scraps, spoons,
sand, paper, crayons and ice cubes.
Description: Teachers, with a small group of pre-k children ask, "What do you think happens when you put ice in a glass of water or juice?" "What happens when you leave crayons out in the sun or when you bring a snowball inside?" Talk about the children's responses then ask, "What do you think makes ice melt?" "What makes crayons melt?" Then suggest, "Let's try some experiments to learn more about melting."
Next, show preschool children a tray of ice and ask them to think of different ways to melt each cube. Make a list of the methods they suggest and ask youngsters to predict which method will make the ice cube melt the fastest and/or slowest. If needed give these examples, place an ice cube in a container filled with cold water; one with hot water; another in sand, snow (if available).
Preschool children may enjoy wrapping the ice cubes in different materials and predicting which cubes will melt the fastest. You can use aluminum foil, plastic wrap and cloth. Remember to write the youngsters predictions down, do the experiment, and then refer back to what children had thought would happen. Talk about which cubes melted the fastest and record the results under the predictions.
Science:
Melting Experiment #2
Pre-k children will
continue to use the scientific skills of observation, prediction and evaluation
during this second melting experiment.
You will need: The same materials as in Melting Experiment #1.
Description: Help young children experiment with ice cubes by placing the cubes (or snowballs if available) in various places around the classroom. Ask children to predict which ice cube will melt the fastest, considering where it is placed. Cubes can be placed in sunny windows, a dark closet, out side of a window, near a heater etc. Permit youngsters to offer their suggestions.
Make a list or chart of the predictions then test your theories by encouraging preschoolers to check on the various areas every few minutes. When the results are in record the findings on the list or chart. Encourage children to express opinions about why a particular cube melted the fastest and why another melted the slowest.
Do you have an idea
or Winter
preschool activity that you'd like to share...
E-mail
Gayle
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