The Wonder of Snow

This week we focused our studies on the wonder of snow. We talked about our recent snowfall and how we all enjoyed it. We pretended our classroom was covered in snow. We made snowballs, snow angels and pretended to go sledding -- we rode without hands and pretended there were bumps along the way.

On Tuesday we read Snowmen All Year by Caralyn Buehner and asked the students what they would do if they had a snowman that lasted through the summer months. 

As a learning extension each student received their own mini-snowman made from baking soda and a bit of water. They were given droppers and cups filled with vinegar. Using droppers can be tricky at first, but it was a wonderful opportunity to practice fine motor skills. They enjoyed watching their snowmen froth, bubble and melt away.

We had a hot cocoa stand. While some were very interested in running the cash register -- many  were happy to "make cocoa" using scraps of felt for the chocolate and pom poms for marshmallows.

Fun snow man match-up game that incorporates color recognition.

White things...students were asked to sort them how they wish - animals and non-animals, small and big, hard and soft.

Making snowmen out of playdough

We played I Spy -  searching for white items hidden in our sensory table

I found the feather!

The students really enjoyed searching and finding the items hidden in the sensory bin.

watercolor - always a favorite with students

During free choice students had the opportunity to create snowmen out of paper doilies and other craft materials

As a STEM activity students were given two different kinds of packing peanuts (styrofoam and cornstarch) and encouraged to draw snowman faces on them and make guesses about what would happen if they were placed in a bowl of water? Would they melt? The children observed that the ink from the markers floated on top of the water and changed the color of the water. They also noticed that the styrofoam peanuts remained intact while those made from cornstarch disintegrated and melted away.

On Wednesday we learned about snowflakes...no two flakes are alike, but all have six sides.
* as a STEM activity students were given a variety of craft items to piece together to create snowflakes
* we painted snow scenes on aluminum foil.
* our question of the day 'Have you ever caught a snowflake on your tongue?'
* we created a web of "white things"
* we created vibrant works of art using paint popsicles

painting with colored ice

creating beaded snowflakes in science class

in science the students enjoyed playing with "pseudo-snow" - a concoction of baking soda and conditioner

Build-a-snowflake STEM activity

vibrant ice paintings

On Thursday we read The Magical Snow Garden by Tracey Corderoy. A story about a penguin who longs for a flower garden and seeks to create a magical snow garden from found objects. Afterwards the students created their own magical garden using an array of craft materials. Their garden is on display outside our classroom.

Our Magical Snow Garden