Snow

There is so much snow outside, but it's been so cold that we haven't been able to go out and enjoy it!  Well, since we couldn't go outside to play with and explore the snow, I brought it inside!  This week we talked all about snow!

We brainstormed things you could make with snow, and the kids came up with these snow "chalk" pictures.  I am so impressed and proud of how the students are able to represent ideas pictorally.  Even the JK's (Pre-K's) are creating these beautiful works of art.  The SK's really are a great example for them in terms of behaviour and work habits!

We did a choral reading together from this big chart I created.   

You can find the above art activity and this simple reader (as an interactive pocket chart activity), along with many more fun winter activities including literacy, math and science activites (melting/freezing), below:

We made our own snow and talked about how it was similar and different from the snow outside!  This was SO MUCH FUN!  They were sculpting, packing and creating as if it were real!  The best part was they didn't need mittens!

To make this simple recipe, use:

2 cups baking soda

2 tbsp. dish soap (I used Palmolive which turned the 'snow' a slight tint of green, which faded as the kids played with it)

4 tbsp. water

(I used extra water as I found it too flaky)

**I tripled the recipe, to make a large quantity**

It's been difficult staying inside all week, and we have needed movement breaks.  A parent told me about Cosmic Yoga for Kids on Youtube, so we started doing them on our new Bright Links board.  These movement activites allow kids to stretch and move while acting out various stories/scenes involving different animals.  If you've been cooped up all week, you should definitely check it out!

Playing inside with snow was great, but there's nothing like the real thing!  Here's to hoping this week won't be so cold and we can go outside again!