When we returned from vacation, we began our Winter theme. The children learned about what we wear in winter, winter activities and characteristics of the season.
We graphed our favorite winter activities- sledding, building a snowman, ice skating or making snow angels. We also graphed whether or not the students wore gloves or mittens. After counting each row, the students compared our favorites using the words more or less.
We read several winter stories during our theme study. Several were by the author Jan Brett. The children loved looking at the illustrations and predicting what would happen next in the story. We also worked on story sequencing and acted out The Mitten. Some children were animals and had to hide in the mitten in the order in which they appeared in the book. Others were our mitten holders and were responsible for lifting the mitten when the bear sneezed. It was a lot of fun!
Another story that we read was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. The children made personal connections to the story as they realized that the main character, Peter, engaged in many of the same activities they do when it snows. The children created paintings based on the story using a paint made of shaving cream, glue and glitter.
Games provide students with the opportunity to practice such skills as turn-taking, counting and fine motor development. During our winter theme, students practiced winter vocabulary by playing the game Cariboo. The children were asked to select a winter word, "read it", discuss the word and then open the box with a key to see if a ball were hiding underneath.
In the block center, children were challenged to build a log cabin using Lincoln Logs. The children used teamwork and problem solving skills while constructing their homes.
There were many other examples of cooperative play using construction materials this month as well.
In the dramatic play area, we set up an ice skating rink. The students were able to pretend to ice skate and play hockey. When the rink became filled with "snow" someone used a shovel to zamboni it off. Students also practiced using money to buy snacks which included pretzels, hot dogs and cookies. Hot chocolate was also available. The children compared sizes as their peers ordered small, medium and large cups. Toppings such as marshmallows and whipped cream were also available. A pretend popcorn machine was the final touch for the snack shop.
At the sensory table, the students and I made fake snow using baking soda and shaving cream. The children used words such as squishy, gooey, soft, and cold to describe how it felt on their hands.
The fake snow was then replaced with "cloud dough", a mixture of flour and vegetable oil. The children were able to shape the dough just like sand to build snowmen and make castles. The dough feels very soft to the touch.
In the Art center, the children experimented with different materials to make "snowflakes". Here two children are using toilet paper rolls snipped into strips at the end and dipped in paint.
The children also created snowflakes by beading patterns onto pipe cleaners. We talked about how every snowflake is symmetrical, therefore each point should have the same pattern. This was tricky!
Our third craft included making "stained glass" snowflakes. Students again had to make sure their snowflakes had 6 similar points. They then decorated their window with blue and white tissue paper for the sky and snow.
Our science activity involved building snowman shooters out of toilet paper rolls and balloons. Once the shooters were assembled, the children experimented to see what would make their pom-pom shoot the farthest. They tried different sized pom-poms, practiced pulling on the balloon with different force and angling the shooter differently. After a few minutes of experimenting, the children lined up and took turns trying to hit a target on our classroom door.
Another STEM activity that the students completed was making snowflakes using a variety of materials. The students were asked to create 6-pointed snowflakes using a material of their choice for the stick (spaghetti, pipe cleaners, pretzels) and marshmallows.
To go along with our study of winter, we played in the snow! The children enjoyed making snow angels, climbing snow mountains, building snowmen and making tracks.
During gym class, the children pretended that they were reindeer in training. They balanced on top of "rooftops", practiced throwing toys in a chimney, jumped over hurdles, and pulled each other on "sleds".
