Ice/Winter

Book Ideas:

Kumak’s Fish by Michael Bania
On a beautiful Arctic morning when Kumak and his family go ice fishing, Kumak hooks what seems like an enormous fish, and the entire village gets involved.

Diamond in the Snow by Jonathan Emmett
One wintry afternoon, Mole finds something smooth and sparkly sticking out of the snow. It must be a diamond! As Mole rushes to show his new treasure to his friends, it keeps changing shape in his hands. Could the diamond be magic?

The Ice Child by Nick Ward
a classic tale of friendship and fitting in to society. Villagers discover a lonely ice child and take him into their village. When people learn about his special "talent," they turn against him one by one, and he retaliates and starts turning everything and everyone to ice. Eventually a young girl befriends him, and he gains an invaluable companion.


Pearl’s New Skates by Holly Keller
Pearl has new skates. They are real skates (not double runners), and she can't wait to try them. Pearl inches out onto the frozen pond. But instead of twirling, she topples. Instead of spinning, she falls -- splaaat! Will Pearl ever skate in real life the way she skates in her dreams?



Omar on Ice by Kovalski
Omar loves drawing pictures and wishes he could be as good at it as his classmate Elsie. But his teacher, Ms. Fudge, can never figure out what Omar's pictures are- no matter how hard she tries. When the whole class goes ice-skating, however, Omar's true talent emerges. He shows Elsie how he can glide and whirl and spin.



Activity Ideas:

Idea #1: Ice Art

Read one of the books and then paint with colored ice.

First you will need to freeze some colored water in home-made Popsicle containers (ice cube trays with a craft stick stuck in the center works fine too). I just added drops of food coloring to the water (it works best if you add a lot of drops so the color is nice and dark).

Let the Popsicles melt a little before using them or run them under water. Give your child a piece of white cardstock or construction paper and let them paint the paper with the melting, colored ice.

Set aside to dry.

Idea #2: Wax Paper Ice Skating

Read one of the stories about ice skating and then "ice skate" in the house. All you need to do is tear off two pieces of wax paper (one for each foot) and then slide around the house like your ice skating. Put on some music while you slide across the room. (Works on carpet or hardwood flooring).

Idea #3: Ice Fishing

Read "Kumak's fish" or one of the other books about ice and then pretend to go ice fishing.

You'll need a large plastic container (Yogurt, cottage cheese etc..). Cut out a whole in the top of the lid and then cover both the container and lid with tinfoil, to look like ice.

You will also need some sort of magnetic fishing pole. I have one from a magnetic puzzle. If you don't have one, make your own homemade one (a string and magnet will do). You will also need to print-off and color several fish onto cardstock (you'll need to make the fish smaller).

Write a different summer or winter activity on the back of each fish and attach a paper clip to each one. Here are a few ideas:

Summer: Going for a picnic, swimming at the lake, riding bikes, playing at the park, mowing the lawn

Winter: Skiing, building a snowman, playing hockey, sledding, shoveling the snow, Ice skating

Place the fish inside the container and let your child go "Ice fishing" for fish.

As you pull out the fish, read the back and have them sort the fish under either summer or winter activities.

For Toddlers, you may want to just reinforce their colors by asking them what color the fish is as they catch each one.

Idea #4: Ice Science Experiment

Read "The Diamond in the Snow" or one of the other stories about ice and talk about what they think makes ice melt. Show your child 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 your child to predict which method will make the ice cube melt the fastest and/or slowest. Here are a few ideas: Place one ice cube in cold water and one in hot water.

Sprinkle one with coarse salt.

Sprinkle one with sugar.

Sprinkle one with sand.

Your child 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 their predictions down, do the experiment, and then refer back to what the children had thought would happen.

Idea #5: Sugar Cube Igloo

Read one of the stories and then talk about how some people live in houses made of Ice and Snow. Then make a sugar cube igloo. For directions go click here. (I haven't tried this activity-- but if I were going to do it, I would probably let my child just build their own "ice house" out of the sugar cubes, however they want, rather than following the specific directions.)

Valentine's Day/Love

Book Ideas: I love you because you’re you by Liza Baker
"Describes, in rhyming text and illustrations, a mother's love for her child no matter how he feels or what he does. Reassuring quatrains ("I love you when you're sad/ and need a kiss and hug./ I love you when you're playful/ and rolling on the rug") convey her unconditional love."

If you’ll be my valentine by Cynthia Rylant
"A young boy makes valentines for those who are special to him: his dog, his cat, his grandmother and other family members, his teddy bear, and even the bird who sings outside his window."

Mama, Do you Love Me? By Barbara M. Joosse
"Mama, do you love me? Yes I do Dear One. How much? In this universal story, a child tests the limits of independence and comfortingly learns that a parent's love is unconditional and everlasting."

My Love for You by Susan L. Roth
"In this wildly popular board book edition of Susan Roth's successful counting book, two mice walk together-and find that their love is bigger than 1 bear, taller than 2 giraffes, and larger than 3 blue whales. As they journey from 1 to 10, they discover that their love is greater than anything they can imagine."

I Love You More by Laura Duksta
"This cleverly conceived flip story, which ends in the middle and starts from either side, will show you what love looks like from both a child and a parent's perspective. With a simple, touching story, rhyme and rhythm, and vibrant child-like illustrations, this book will be treasured by anyone who has ever said "I love you" and heard the best response in the world: 'I LOVE YOU MORE'."

Guess How Much I Love You by Same Mc Bratney

"During a bedtime game, every time Little Nutbrown Hare demonstrates how much he loves his father, Big Nutbrown Hare gently shows him that the love is returned even more."


Activity Ideas:

Idea #1: Paper Plate Valentine Holder

Read one of the stories and discuss the idea of Valentine's Day being a special day to show friends and family how much we love them. Then, make a paper plate valentine holder for each member of the family so you can leave "love notes" or special treats inside for each other, leading up to or on valentine's day.

You will need 1 full sized paper plate and one paper plate cut in half.

Turn the half plate over so back of the plate is facing the top. Set on top of the full-sized plate. Holding the two plate together, punch holes around the edges where the plates meet.

Wrap some tape around the end of a long piece of string. This will make it easier for your child to push and pull it through the holes.

Put the string through the first hole and tie a double knot to secure it. Then, helping your child hold the plates together, let them practice their fine motor skills by lacing the string in and out of the holes.

Knot the string on the other end and trim.

Then decorate the plate with stickers, ribbon, rubber stamps, glitter pens, doilies (whatever you have on hand). Punch a hole at the top and tie on a string for hanging.

Idea #2: "The People I love..." Book

Read one of the stories and discuss the idea of Valentine's Day being a special day to show friends and family how much we love them. Make this homemade predictable, beginning reader book. All you need is some colored paper, stapler, marker, and some old, extra photos of family members and close friends.


Staple colored paper together to make a book. Title the front: "The People I love...".

Let your child glue the photos at the top of each blank page, in any order they want. Then go back and label the photos with the words: "I love _______". See photos below for more page examples.

Let your child practice "reading" their books over and over, showing all the people they love.

Idea #3: Make homemade Valentine Cards

Read one of the stories and discuss the idea of Valentine's Day being a special day to show friends and family how much we love them. Make homemade valentine cards for friends and family. Use whatever you have on hand: Stickers, doilies, felt, paper, rubber stamps, paint, glitter etc....Be creative and have fun!

Here is a list of ideas in making cards with cute sayings (You can print off the specific clipart and then let your child color it and glue it on colored paper):

Monkey- I go bananas over you!

Car- I never "tire" of your friendship!

Bear- You are beary cool!

Toad- You are "toad"ally awesome!

Lion- You are Grrrreat! No Lion!

Fish- I'm "hooked" on you!

Clown- No clown'in around, you're cool!

Cat- You're Purrrrfect!

Airplane- I'd fly high for you!

Rabbit- Some bunny loves you!

Valentine's Day/ Hearts

Book Ideas:1, 2, 3 Valentine’s Day by Jeanne Modesitt
In this rhyming counting book, Mister Mouse goes house to house distributing valentines to his animal friends ("Three big badgers, whistling a tune,/ Open the door and get a balloon). Each house has one more inhabitant than the last.

Sweet Hearts by Jan Carr
A young girl celebrates Valentine's Day by making and hiding paper hearts around the house for her family to discover. (Short rhymes great for toddlers).

Valentine Foxes by Clyde Watson
Mama Fox wants this Valentine’s Day to be a special one, so she sets her for cubs to making cards for each other, while she bakes a valentine cake for supper. But one thing after another goes wrong, soon it’s late and nothing is ready. Disaster looms, until Little Dilly fox wakes up—and saves the day. (There is a cake recipe included in the back that is really yummy!!!)

Heart to Heart by George Shannon
Oh no! It's Valentine's Day and Squirrel forgot to get a card for his best friend, Mole. Run for paper, glitter, lace, and lights! But as he searches for the scissors, Squirrel discovers much more and makes Mole a gift that only Squirrel could create.

Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas
It’s only a week until Valentine’s Day, and Lily wants to make the perfect heart-shaped valentine for Mommy. But every time she cuts out a heart, it’s either too pointy, too round, or too skinny. As the days go by, Lily tries again and again, and when Valentine’s Day finally arrives, she has a heart for each day of the week! Which one will be the perfect valentine surprise for Mommy?

Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit
Ann Estelle is so busy creating the most beautiful Valentine mailbox in class, she forgets to make cards for her classmates.



Activity Ideas:


Idea #1: Wax Paper Hearts

Read one of the books and then make some colorful hearts to decorate a window.
You will need: wax paper, crayons, pencil sharpener, old cereal box, newspaper, scissors, iron and ironing board, and some string.

The first step is to make a bunch of crayon shavings using some old crayons and a handheld pencil sharpener. (Depending on the age of your child, you may want to do this part in advance).

Then, let your child sprinkle the crayon shavings on a large piece of wax paper.
(In the photo, our shavings were sprinkled a little too thick in the middle of our wax paper. It works better if you sprinkle the crayons sparsely, without getting too close to the edge of the wax paper.)

Then, carefully take the wax paper over to the ironing board that is covered in newspaper (to protect it from any leaks that might occur during the melting process).

Keeping your kids at a distance from the iron, put a 2nd piece of wax paper sandwiched over the top of the crayon shavings and layer another piece of newspaper over the top of that. Heat your iron on the lowest heat setting and iron over the top of the newspaper for literally 2 seconds. The crayons will melt quickly. If the melted crayon is thick in certain spots, rub your iron over the newspapered surface again and spread the melted crayon in the direction you want it to go.



This is how it will look when the shavings are melted. Set the wax paper aside to let the melted crayon cool for a minute or two.



While the melted crayon is cooling, grab your cereal box and cut out two sizes of heart shapes to use as stencils.

Place your heart stencil on the cooled wax paper and then have your child draw around the stencils. (For toddlers, help them hold the heart in place and let them draw around it.) Cut out as many heart shapes as you can.

Have your child cut out the hearts, punch a whole in the top, and then tie on a string.

Make a window garland by stringing all your hearts together on a long string and hanging it in window.

Idea #2: Heart Animal Collages

Read one of the stories and then let your child's creativity go wild by making as many animals as they can out of various sizes of hearts.

Cut out various sized hearts from a cereal box to use as stencils.

Trace a bunch of hearts onto colored paper and cut out. This can take a little while, so you may want to have the hearts ready to go before you start the activity. You will need lots of hearts in different sizes and even different colors.

Below are some ideas of animals you can make. Let your child be creative and do whatever they want. if they are having a hard time getting started then you could say "Do you think you could make a butterfly?" ...and then proceed to talk them through what they could use for the wings etc... Once they do one they will have an easier time thinking up more.

Idea #3: Heart Math Game

Read on of the stories and then play this beginners addition and subtraction game that will introduce the plus and minus signs to your preschooler.

First you will need to make a couple of these heart game boards for each player. Just copy and paste the heart image into a word document, resize it, and copy and paste the image over and over to fill the page with hearts. Print it out on cardstock or heavy construction paper.

You will also need to make some home-made paper dice. Print off two copies of the dice templates on heavy paper and cut out, fold, and glue the cube together.

On one dice, draw on 3 plus signs and 3 minus signs covering each side. On the other dice you can either write the actual numerals 1-6 or draw dots representing the numbers (as seen in the photo).

You will also need uncooked beans to use as markers, or small scrapes of colored paper etc...

To play the game, each player gets a playing card of hearts. Take turns rolling the dice. So if you roll a plus sign and a 3, then you would cover three hearts with beans. If you were to roll a minus sign and a 5, then you would have to remove 5 beans from your card. The first person to cover all their hearts on their card is the winner.

Idea #4: Heart Counting

Read one of the books and then practice identifying numbers and then counting out that many hearts.

You will need to place small pieces of paper in the bottom of a muffin tin and then number each hole.

If you want to save time and don't want to cut out small circles, then just use paper cupcake liners and write numbers on the bottom of each.

Then, give your child a bunch of candy hearts and have them count out and place the right amount of hearts in each circle.