I need some feedback!

So when I started this blog, I intended to make it much more simple (Post a book, with an activity to go with it). As I got going with all the holiday stuff, it just kind of developed into a post with a theme etc...I felt it was important to give you more than one option for the book selection just in case one wasn't available (plus, I love children's books and get excited to share good ones that I find). Anyway, I am just wanting a little feedback from those of you who use the site regularly to find out what is most helpful to you. Have you been borrowing the books to go along with the activities? Have you liked the book selections? Are they accessible at your libraries most of the time? Should I only give you my top two choices or do you like checking out all the suggested books?

I like the way that the themes have been going, but in trying to simplify, I am thinking about getting rid of the songs and rhymes section, because it sort of gets time consuming. Have you been using this section much? I know I haven't really given you ideas on how to use them with your preschoolers. Let me know what you think? Any specific feedback, in general, about what has worked or not worked for you would be helpful, so I know where to focus my energy and limited time. Thanks so much!!!

Winter Clothes

Book Ideas: Sam’s Winter Hat by Albert Lamb
“Sam Bear is prone to losing things when he goes out to play. When he loses his red winter coat, his best friend Billy brings it back. When Sam loses his green fuzzy mittens, Papa Bear finds them. Then a package from Grandma arrives--with a new woolly hat inside! Sam can't wait to show Billy. But when Sam loses his new winter hat, his whole life goes wobbly! Where is the hat that Grandma made him?”



Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
“Rambunctious Froggy hops out into the snow for a winter frolic but is called back by his mother to put on some necessary articles of clothing.”



The Mitten by Jan Brett
“Several animals sleep snugly in Nicki's lost mitten until the bear sneezes.”



The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shriley Neitzel
"Rhyme follows rhyme as layer after layer of winter clothing ('bunchy and hot, wrinkled a lot, stiff in the knee, and too big for me!') is first put on and then taken off to the relief of the child bundled inside."


One Winter’s Day by M. Christina Butler
“When a fierce windstorm blows away Little Hedgehog’s nest, he puts on his winter clothes and sets off for Badger’s warm house. On his way, Hedgehog meets his friends, all shivering in the wind and snow. One by one, Hedgehog gives away his cozy mittens, hat, and scarf.
But will Little Hedgehog make it through the storm to safety without his warm clothes?”



Under my Hood I have a hat by Karla Kuskin
“A young girl describes all the layers she is wearing as she takes them off piece by piece. She then takes a break on a wordless double page, sharing a snack with her dog. Then more layers are added, until she is ready to go outside in the snow.”




Songs and Rhymes:


Boot Prints
Up and down the yard we go
Making boot prints in the snow
Big steps, little steps
Around and around
Oh what fun with snow on the ground!
Black boots, white boots
Red boots bright
Isn’t it strange our boot prints are white?

Snowy Day
“Oh Mom,” I said on a snowy day.
“Must I wear my boots to play?”
“Yes my dear!” my mother said.
“And your hat, and your scarf and your mittens red!”



Winter Weather
Let's put on our mittens
And button our coats;
Wrap a scarf snuggly
Around our throats.
Pull on our boots,
Fasten the straps.
And tie on tightly,
Our warm winter caps.
Then open the door
And out we go
Into the soft and feathery snow.

Mitten Finger play
Here is a mitten, (hold up one hand)
A snug, fuzzy one- (rub palms together)
With a place for my fingers (wiggle 4 fingers)
And a place for my thumb (wiggle thumb)
Here are two mittens, (hold up two hands)
A colorful sight. (hands back and forth)
One for the left hand (hold up left hand)
One for the right. (hold up right hand)
Here are OUR mittens, (hold up two hands)
As soft as can be (stroke the back of one hand)
A warm pair for you (point to the neighbor)
And a warm pair for me (point to yourself)


Winter Pokey (Hokey Pokey)
You put your mitten in, you take your mitten out….you do the winter pokey…..etc..
You put your boots in, you take your boots out….
You put your coat in, you put your coat out…
You put your hat in, you put your hat out….
You put your scarf in you put your scarf out….


Dressing for Winter
This is how we dress on a cold Winter’s day.
We put on our snowsuit to go to play.
Then we put on our boots for walking in the snow.
Next, our hats and our mittens.
‘Cause the wind begins to blow.
And now we’re all ready to go out and play.
We’ll stay nice and warm on this cold Winter’s day.


Mitten Match
Find your mittens, new or old.
Help your fingers fight the cold.
Red or yellow, green or blue—
Put your thumb and fingers through!

Mittens
Mittens for the snow time
When the world is white.
Mittens for my two hands.
Mittens left and right.
Mittens with a thumb place.
Mittens warm and snug.
Mittens make me feel like
A bug inside a rug


Losing Things
I'm very good at losing things,
Especially things in twos.
Like socks and gloves and mittens,
And even boots and shoes.
There's always one - that seems to stay.
And always one - that hides away!




Activity Ideas:


Idea#1: Winter Clothes Book


Read one of the book titles and then help your child make a "Early Reader" predictable book. These books are great for preschoolers because it is a simple repetitive text that has only one or two word changes, with a picture as a clue to the new word. You'll need to print off the clip art from the list below(copy and paste them into a word document and drag the image to change the size. Some of the images wouldn't let me copy, so I had to save the image and import it into my word document). You will also need four pieces of construction paper, all in the same color. Fold the paper and staple on one side to make a book.

Each page in the book will go something like this (click on the links to see the clip art):

This is a blue coat.
This is a purple mitten.
This is a red scarf.
This is a white sock.
This is a yellow boot.
This is a green hat.
This is a brown sweater.


(The clip art includes two socks and boots, but you only need one of each for the book)

You can either tell your child which crayon to use for each item, or let them choose. Just make sure that they use a different color for each article of clothing. Let them color each item and cut them out. Then glue one on each page.
You can write in the text before or after they glue. Then have them read you their book. Do it together once, saying "This is a ...." and let them say the color and item on each page. After you've done it together see if your child can do it by themselves. Remind them to look at the pictures for clues. My two year old loved this and wanted to "read" her book over and over (she needed a little help on the colors, but loved to shout out the clothing item on each page). I titled the cover: "Winter Clothes".

Idea #2: Retelling of "The Mitten"-Dramatic Play


Read "The Mitten" by Jan Brett and then have your child help retell the story by acting it out. We used a white pillowcase as the mitten and gathered up a bunch of stuffed animals to play the various animals. Have your child be the bear and give a big sneeze and then make the animals fly out of the mitten. If you don't want to act it out, you can print off a paper copy of the animals and mitten and retell it using paper props, instead.





Idea #3: Mitten Collage

Read one of the stories and then let your child decorate their own mitten. All you'll need is a large printout of a mitten (on cardstock or construction paper) some scissors, glue, and some leftover Christmas wrapping paper or scarps of scrapbook paper in various colors. I just cut up the wrapping paper into small pieces.



Squirt some glue onto the mitten and let your child spread out the glue covering the whole mitten, using a q-tip.


Then have your child make a collage by sticking the scarps of paper all over their mitten.





Idea #4: Symmetrical Mittens

Read one of the stories and then play a little shapes game to build your child's understanding of symmetry. First you will need to copy and paste a bunch of shapes into a word document and print them off in various sizes. I colored each shape a different color and then cut them out.

You will also need to copy and paste two mitten outlines into a word document and print. (I had to do a little photo editing to get a mirror image(or a right mitten) of the left mitten clip art. Then I taped them together, so the thumbs were touching.

To play the game, I built a design on the left mitten using the paper shapes, and then had my daughter see if she could make the exact same design on the other mitten(see photo above).
Then we switched roles, and my daughter made a shape and I had to copy her design on the other mitten.

Below are some examples of the different kinds of patterns we made.




The last two photos show a common mistake that your child will make in trying to copy your design. Symmetry is a concept of higher level thinking. Your child might not be at the age or understanding to fully grasp it. If you would like to try and extend your child's learning, continue to read the explanation below.
In order for it to be symmetrical, the design has to be a mirror image of each other, so that if you held up each mitten facing each other the design would match up. In this photo my daughter replicated the design exactly the same as mine, with the orange triangles pointing right, instead of the triangles pointing toward the thumb like in the photo below. If you think your child has the understanding and you want to extend their learning, help them begin to gain an understanding of symmetry by gluing down the shapes so that they can see that when you fold it in half the same shapes and colors should match up.


Idea #5: Winter Clothes Memory Game

Read one of the book titles and then play a winter clothes memory game. Someone will be chosen to be the "snowman" that you have to dress. Put scarf, mittens, etc. on the snowman and have the others close their eyes. Change one clothing item ( e.g.. put a different hat on) or take a clothing item away. Ask the others to uncover their eyes and guess what is different about the snowman.

Idea #6: Winter Clothes Experiment

Read one of the book titles and then do a little science experiment to show the importance of wearing warm clothes during cold weather. Fill 2 jars with hot water. "Dress" one of the jars in a sweater/jacket and hat. The other "wears" a T-shirt. Place both jars outside for an hour or two. Then bring them inside, open them up, and test the water temperature.

Snowman/Snowmen

Book Ideas:

Snowball by Lois Ehlert
Some children create a family out of snow. Children will love poring over Lois Ehlert's bold, funny illustrations and identifying the common (and not so common) objects she uses to decorate her snowy family.

All you need for a snowman by Alice Schertle
Lists everything that one needs to build the perfect snowman, from the very first snowflake that falls.




Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Beuhner
Snowmen play games at night when no one is watching."




The biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever. But building a huge snowman alone is hard! They work and work, but their snowmen just aren't big enough. Soon they have an idea. As the day of the contest approaches, Clayton and Desmond join forces to build the biggest snowman ever.

Frosty the Snowman by Bedford and Malvern
Who can resist the tale of children enjoying the fun of building Frosty, when suddenly to their astonishment, he comes alive! The children in the neighborhood have never had a better winter of sledding, ice skating, and building snow houses, until one day, a warm wind blows. What will happen to Frosty?

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
It is a wordless story about a boy who builds a snowman and has a series of adventures with his new friend.

Songs and Rhymes:

Snowman

A chubby little snowman

Had a carrot nose;

Along came a rabbit

And what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny,

Looking for his lunch,
Ate the snowman's carrot nose...

Nibble, Nibble, Crunch!

Melting Snowman
Here’s a snowman round and fat; (make circle with arms)
Out comes the sun and melts his hat. (touch head)
Here’s a snowman with a scarf of red’
Out comes the sun and melts his head. (touch chin to chest))
Here’s a snowman, fit as a fiddle;
Out comes the sun and melts his middle. (touch stomach)
Here’s a snowman who waits for dawn;
Out comes the sun and he’s all gone!

I’m a little Snowman
(I’m a little teapot)

I’m a little snowman, short and stout,
Sticks for arms and a carrot snout.
When the weather warms up, gosh, oh gee!
I melt and there’s no more of me!

Snowman

(Sung to “I’m a little teapot)

I’m a little snowman, round and fat
Here are my buttons, here is my hat.
When the sun comes out, I run away
Before I slowly melt away.

Five little Snowmen
5 little snowmen standing in a row.
Each had a hat and big red bow.
Out came the sun and shone all day.
1 little snowman melted away.
(continue until you have no snowmen left)

Snow friend
Pack a snowball.
Make it round.
Roll it, roll it, along the ground.
Make one big ball, and one of middle size;
Then roll a smaller ball. Add a nose and eyes.
Give him a broom and a scarf of blue.
Now there’s a friend to play with you!

Frosty The Snowman

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,

With a corncob pipe and a button nose

And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,

He was made of snow but the children

Know how he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found.

For when they placed it on his head

He began to dance around.

O, Frosty the snowman

Was alive as he could be,

And the children say he could laugh and play just the same as you and me.

Thumpetty thump thump, Thumpety thump thump,

Look at Frosty go.

Thumpetty thump thump, Thumpety thump thump,

Over the hills of snow.

Frosty the snowman
knew the sun was hot that day,

So he said, "Let's run and we'll have some fun

Now before I melt away."

Down to the village, with a broomstick in his hand,

Running here and there all around the square

saying,"Catch me if you can."

He led them down the streets of town

Right to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment when

He heard him holler "Stop!"
For Frosty the snow man

Had to hurry on his way,

But he waved goodbye saying,"Don't you cry,

I'll be back again some day."

Thumpetty thump thump, Thumpety thump thump,

Look at Frosty go.

Thumpetty thump thump, Thumpety thump thump,

Over the hills of snow.

Once there was a snowman

(LDS children’s song book #249)

Once there was a snowman, Snowman, snowman
Once there was a snowman, Tall, tall, tall
In the sun he melted, melted, melted
In the sun he melted, small, small, small.

Activity Ideas:

Idea #1:Roll-a-Snowman Game

Read one of the snowman books and then play a dice game. You will need paper pencils and some dice.

Make a Roll-a-snowman reference paper as seen in the photo so that you can refer to it as you play.

Give each player a piece of paper and pencil. Take turns rolling the die. The first one to roll all six numbers and draw a finished snowman is the winner.

Idea #2: "Magic" snowman pictures
Read one of the book titles and then explore with chalk, making chalk-transfer pictures.

You will need half a piece of dark blue or black paper, one full sheet of paper(any color), and a piece of white chalk. Fold the full sheet of paper in half. Using the chalk, have your child color

the inside half of their folded sheet of paper (as seen in the photo). Place the dark sheet of paper inside the fold and have your child draw a snowman on the outside cover, pushing hard so that the chalk will transfer on to their dark paper inside.

Their drawing will "magically appear" on their dark paper. Let them explore using this new technique as many times as they want.



Idea #3: Build a Snowman outside

If you live in a place that snows, read one of the book titles and then build your own snowman outside. If you live in a warm place, build one out of sand or use your imagination and pretend to build one by acting it out.

Idea #4: Popcorn Ball Snowman

Read one of the book titles and then make yummy popcorn ball snowmen together.

Popcorn Ball Recipe:

15 cups popped popcorn

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 10-oz. packages of marshmallows

Pretzel sticks, raisins, candy, fruit roll-up (for a scarf) etc..

Pour the popcorn into a large bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the marshmallows, stirring constantly until melted. Pour over the popcorn and stir to coat. When cool enough to touch, rub butter on your hands and form popcorn balls.

Idea #5: Snowman Math Estimation

Read one of the books and then have your child guess how many "snow balls"(cotton balls) it will take to fill in the snowman outlines.

Draw one small and one medium sized snowman outline on a piece of paper. Leave space to write the words "Guess" and "Actual #" next to each outline so that your child can record the numbers.

Starting with the smaller snowman, show your child the cotton balls and ask them to guess how many snowballs he or she will need to fill the inside of the snowman. Write their guess down. Then have them glue the cotton balls down and count the actual # of cotton balls that it required. Record your findings. Repeat the process for the larger snowman.

Idea #6: Marshmallow Snowman/snowgirl

Read one of the book titles and then make a snowman using paper, mini marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and candies.

First you need to draw the basic snowman outline on a piece of construction paper. In advance, cut-out a paper scarf and hat.

Then, Glue down the paper scarf and mini marshmallows on the snowman outline.

Next glue, on all the face, arms, buttons, hat etc... with anything you have around the house.

My older daughter wanted to make a snowgirl. She added angel hair to hers.

If you want to add a finishing touch, dip the end of a marshmallow into white paint and stamp falling snow onto your paper.

Winter- Snow/Snowflakes

Book Ideas: The snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
"The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day."



One snowy night by Nick Butterworth
"On a snowy night when a park keeper takes the animals into his hut for warmth, things get too crowded for comfort."




Snowball Fight! By Jimmy Fallon
"Snow day! School's closed! And somewhere out there, a snowball fight is waiting to happen! From carefully packing the snow to launching an all-out attack, everyone loves a snowball fight."



Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddals
“As snow begins to fall, a child counts the flakes, enjoying every one”



Snowy, Blowy Winter by Bob Raczka
“The simple, playful rhymes make this celebration of winter a solid choice for sharing with toddlers and beginning readers alike. With just one word or phrase per image or page-turn, this makes for a quick, rhythmic read.”




Songs and Rhymes:


Winter Time Poem
by Mary Ryer
Icy fingers, icy toes,
Bright red cheeks and bright red nose.
Watch the snowflakes as they fall,
Try so hard to count them all.
Build a snowman way up high,
See if he can touch the sky.
Snow forts, snowballs, angels, too,
In the snow, so white and new.
Slip and slide and skate so fast.
Wintertime is here at last.



Snowflakes falling down
Sung to “row, row, row your boat”

Snow flakes falling down, (wiggle fingers downward)
Falling on the ground.
Gre-e-e-at, bi-i-i-g white flakes (make circles with thumbs and forefingers touching)
That do not make a sound. (finger to lips and shake head ‘no’)



Snowflakes falling from the sky
Sung to “Mary had a little lamb”

Snowflakes falling from the sky,
From the sky, from the sky.
Snow flakes falling from the sky, to the earth below.
Watch them as they dance and whirl,
Dance and whirl, dance and whirl,
Watch them as they dance and whirl,
Soft, white winter snow.


Walking in the snow
Let’s go walking in the snow.
Walking, walking, on tiptoe.
Lift your one foot way up high.
Then the other to keep dry.
All around the yard we skip.
Watch your step or you might slip!



Snowflakes Falling
Sung to “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-oh!
Making snowmen
Sledding too,
There is so much that we can do.


Red Nose
Where did you get that little red nose?
Jack Frost kissed it I suppose.
He kissed it once.
He kissed it twice.
Poor little nose as cold as ice.



A sledding we will go
Sung to “A hunting we will go”

A sledding we will go,
A sledding we will go,
We’ll hold on tight and sit just right,
as down the hill we go---Wheee!

A skating we will go,
A skating we will go,
We’ll twirl around and not fall down
As over the ice we go!

A skiing we will go,
A skiing we will go,
We’ll stop when we get the Mountain top (Pause)
Then down the Mountain we’ll go---Swoosh!



It is snowing
Tune: “Frere Jacques”

It is snowing, it is snowing,
Falling down, falling down.
Winter winds are blowing,
Drifts are slowly growing,
All around, all around.



I love snow
Tune: Three Blind Mice

I love snow, I love snow.
Soft white snow, soft white snow.
It falls on the ground so soft and white
Sometimes it falls all through the night
Did you ever see such a beautiful sight
As soft white snow?



Snowflakes and Cupcakes
(Tune: Raindrops and Lemon Drops)
If all the snowflakes were chocolate covered cupcakes
Oh, what a snow it would be!
I'd go outside with my mouth open wide (open mouth and stick out tongue)
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
If all of the snowflakes were chocolate covered cupcakes
Oh, what a snow it would be!

***Alternative words: If all of the snowflakes were candy bars and milk shakes




Activity Ideas:


Idea #1: Snow Ice cream

Read one of the snow books and then make some snow ice cream. You will need to wait until the next snow fall to put a bowl or tray out to catch some of the clean snow (for those of you who don't live in a place that snows, shaved ice can be a substitute). Her is the recipe:


Snow Ice Cream
4 cups fresh, clean snow
1/2 cup whole milk (or half & half)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Put the snow in a mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the milk, sugar, and vanilla until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the milk mixture over the snow and mix well with a stirring spoon. Add more snow if needed for desired thickness. Enjoy!

Idea #2: Indoor Snow ball fight

Read the book "Snowball fight" by Jimmy Fallon and then have your own indoor snowball fight, using crumpled paper balls. You can set a timer or play music and throw as many balls as you can until the timer goes off or the song is over.




Idea #3: Puffy Foam Snow Scene
Read one of the book titles and then make a fun snow scene using shaving cream foam and glue.
First have your child draw a winter scene with some hills and a bare tree or a snowman etc..(I drew the picture for my two year old). Mix together equal parts of shaving cream and Elmer's Glue on a paper plate.


Using craft sticks, have your child spread the foam mixture onto their snow scene. ***Important: Make sure to tell them not to taste the foam or rub it into their eyes!!!

Then you can add snow flakes by dipping the end of a plastic spool of thread into white paint or using your child's thumbprint.

When the mixture dries, it will dry nice and puffy!

Idea #4:Paper Snowflakes

Read "Millions of Snowflakes" and then make your own paper snowflakes to hang in your childs room. You can fold and cut your own designs or you can print off the templates you see in the photo below.

To print these snowflake templates, click here.

Cut the basic shape and fold on the lines. If your child is old enough to use scissors let them try and cut some of the simpiler patterns. If they don't have the coordination yet and are getting frustrated, then you cut them and let them open the flakes when your done cutting to reveal the pattern (my daughter's reaction to each snowflake she unfolded was fun).

Here is what the different patterns look like, once cut and unfolded. Talk about how every snowflake is unique and different.

If you want, you can let your child decorate the snowflakes with silver, blue, and white glitter, beads, buttons, or pom poms etc...Then hange them by some floss in a window or over their bed.

Idea #5: Painting the Snow

Read one of the book titles and then go outside and paint the snow.

All you need to do is fill some squirt bottles or spray bottles with water and add a few drops of food coloring to each.

Go outside and "paint the snow" by squeezing or squirting the colored water on the snow.

Have your child explore mixing primary colors together.

Idea #6: Winter scene with Salt and flour paint

Read one of the stories and then make a winter scene using the special recipe below:

Mix together 1 cup salt and 1/2 cup flour and 3/4 cup water (this made way too much paint, so you should probably 1/2 the recipe) in a bowl.

Using a paint brush, Let your child paint a snow scene with the mixture (the thinner the better--It looks like it will hardly show, but it will dry faster and won't crack off later)

When it's all dry it will look like this.