Fun ways for you to celebrate winter all season long!
Let’s face it, if you live in an area with with extreme weather conditions like we do, you might as well embrace them! Â In the hot summer time, that means lots of outdoor play with water, bubbles, and chalk. Â And in the winter time, that means lots of snowy play…
Winter got an early start here in the Midwest. Â Usually we are lucky if we have any sort of accumulating snowfall before Christmas. Â This year, however, we have had several snowfalls already which means we are celebrating this snow both in the classroom and outside. Â Today we are sharing activities that embrace and celebrate that cold snowy goodness! Â And if you live in an area without snow, don’t worry! Â We are sharing a few ways you can explore snow, even if you don’t have the real thing…
Explore Winter Outdoors
The first thing all children want to do when there is any kind of snowfall is to, of course, go out and play in it! Â And unless we have really extreme temperatures, we let them…
Even going outside for just a few minutes can give children the opportunity to run off some energy. Â That cold air is sure to perk just about anyone up rather quickly! Â If you have enough time and snow, building a snowman is always fun…
If you are lucky enough to have a snow fall while you are in school, try taking a sheet of dark construction paper outside to examine the snowflakes up close…
Bring the Outdoors into your Classroom
If extreme temperatures keep your children from going outside, then I encourage you to bring the snow inside to your children. Â We like to bring in big bucketfuls of snow and dump them on trays our tables. Â Using paint brushes and pipettes is a fun way to explore color mixing and melting…
Other Ways to Engage the Senses
If you are not able to get outside to build your own, create a snowman sensory puzzle by burying all the components of a snowman under a pile of snow…
Explore the melting process with this snowman in a bag activity, documenting how your snowman looks before and after it melts…
If you don’t live in an area that receives snowfall, there are plenty of other ways to explore this magical winter weather.  For example, take a look at  the idea that no two snowflakes are alike…
Be Creative and Have Fun!
Playing in snow is a multi-sensory experience.  If you don’t have the real thing, fill a sensory tub with fake snow to play in and explore…
Create a soft squishy blanket of snow with a cotton ball blizzard in a box…
Lastly, if you are brave enough, have an indoor snowball fight…
If you find yourself with lots of snow on the ground, I encourage you to embrace it just as your children would! Â Come March, though, that snow can take a hike. Â We’ll be ready to celebrate the warmer temperatures of spring by then…
And now it’s your turn to discover and enjoy all that winter has to offer!