Whole Child Development
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has always been one of my favorite musical works. This program music is so beautiful and powerful, but also so descriptive, you can literally see in your mind and feel in your bones what Vivaldi is trying to describe with his music. (And if you aren’t sure what he’s trying to describe, check out these sonnets Vivaldi wrote to correspond with his music.) Because the music is so suggestive of movement, it’s perfect for a music and movement activity with children!
Next time you’re out shovelling the walk, shovel a bit into a bucket and bring it inside! Fill your sensory table with snow and try one of these fun activities for exploring the enchanting powder with your little ones!
If you’re looking for a simple book about bundling up for winter weather, written with captivating rhymes, Under My Hood I Have a Hat, by Karla Kuskin and illustrated by Fumi Kosaka, is your book! The nameless heroine of this story goes through her layers of winter wear as she and her dog come inside for hot chocolate. Then she names more as she piles them back on to head outside again!
The lines in this story are at the same time simple and fun. Here are a few favorites: “Under my hood, I have a hat, and under that, my hair is flat. Under my coat, my sweater’s blue. My sweater’s red. I’m wearing two.”
Snip, Snip, Snow! by Nancy Poydar tells the story of a relatable, spunky girl named Sophie, who can’t wait for the snow to fall! Her excitement turns to disappointment as the storm is stalled. In its place, Sophie and her friends begin cutting paper snowflakes, creating their own snowstorm. Caught up in their own fun, the first real snowflake almost goes unnoticed. The children run outside to enjoy the new snow! This story is so well-written and the illustrations really draw you in. The book also includes instructions for making paper snowflakes, just like Sophie did!
Here’s a simple way to take a common snack and make it a little more special on a wintry day. Using a pastry brush, cover a warm tortilla with melted butter. Lay a paper or foam snowflake on the tortilla and sprinkle well with cinnamon sugar. Remove the snowflake, and “ta-da”! You have a tortilla snowflake!
According to my very sophisticated and highly scientific method of writing names on paper and drawing one out, it looks like Michelle will have a new book to read as she sips her hot chocolate on a snowy day! Congratulations, Michelle! And thank you all for sharing your snowy day ideas! I love hearing from you! I hope to have more give-aways in the future, but in the meantime, feel free to chime in!
According to my very sophisticated and highly scientific method of writing names on paper and drawing one out, it looks like Michelle will have a new book to read as she sips her hot chocolate on a snowy day! Congratulations, Michelle! And thank you all for sharing your snowy day ideas! I love hearing from you! I hope to have more give-aways in the future, but in the meantime, feel free to chime in!
Ice is a fun, inexpensive, and fascinating material to explore in your sensory table! I like to add color to the water before filling my ice molds, to add interest, and so that the colors begin to mix as the ice melts. Then I fill a variety of containers – ice-cube trays, of course, but also empty plastic food containers (Cool Whip, sour cream, yogurt, etc.), plastic cups, popsicle molds, muffin tins – anything to create an interesting shape. You can place these in your freezer, if you have the room, or if you’re lucky enough to have absolutely frigid temperatures as we did here, just place them outside overnight.
I apologize for being so behind on my posts! Truth be told, I have a load of pictures on my camera, a few pages of notebook paper covered with notes and outlines, and I’m almost constantly constructing posts in my head as I wash dishes or clean up spent projects. The only problem is, I’m having a terrible time sitting down to my computer and getting it all down! This is just a busy time of year, and this year seems a bit busier than years past! Well, I’m hoping to make it up to you, by posting a whole lot more very soon of course, and by having a bit of a give-away. It’s one of my favorite winter picture books, The Snowy Day by Jack Keats (in paperback). It’s a classic, and winner of the Caldecott medal way back in 1963. It was a groundbreaker as one of the very first picture books to feature a Black child as the hero. Though it was first published over 45 years ago, the timeless story is enjoyed as much today as ever. Its story and pictures are simple, and relatable, and a real treasure to share with youngsters ready to explore the snow!
Here’s a combination of hibernation activities for your preschoolers that fit nicely together for a story time or large group activity.
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