Winter is here! The snow has begun to fall (and actually stick) here in Illinois, and the first thing two of my children wanted to do was to run outside and make snow angels!
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Seriously guys?! Snow angels in a 1/2 inch of snow - HA! Anyway, I love the excitement and emotion that the first snow brings.
Snow can make you feel so jittery with excitement...
Seriously guys?! Snow angels in a 1/2 inch of snow - HA! Anyway, I love the excitement and emotion that the first snow brings.
Snow can make you feel so jittery with excitement...
...or give you the warm fuzzies as you cuddle by the fireplace.
(Yup! That's my baby!)
It seems that kids are always so calm when doing snow-related craft activities. Don't believe me? Try it! The next time your kiddos are acting off the wall, pull out some paper and crayons and tell them to draw a snowman on it...See what happens! And before you know it, you'll be pulling out snow activities to do all of the time!
Which means....
you're going to be needing some ideas, so let me give you some!
Let's kick things off with a FREE WINTER DOWNLOAD!
Download it here:
Our favorite winter craft so far this year has been this character frame ornament.
It comes with six different characters to choose from. I printed out some larger pictures of the kids and we glued them behind the frame. I told the kids they could give it as a holiday gift, or even just hang it up somewhere to be festive!
If you ask your students what they like to do most with or in the snow, your most common answer is probably...
BUILD A SNOWMAN!
So I entice my reluctant readers by telling them we are going to build a snowman in a book!
Huh? What?
That's right! We're going to build a snowman IN a book.
Use super fun, scent-a-licious Mr. Sketch crayons to highlight the sight words you want your littles to focus on.
I'm going to work on seeing if I can coax my Kinder-daughter to read through this book for you on video so that you can hear how each page goes...but until then, here is where you can find it:
Build a Snowman Emergent Reader
Now pair that emergent reader with a fun snowman craft! Don't forget to stock up on some paint.
Or try this one, which is my absolute favorite. Especially when you line them all up as decor outside your classroom in the hallway.
If you're looking for snowman ornament ideas, here are two I found on Pinterest that I'm considering doing this year. My own personal kids made this first one for me with their first grade teacher.
I love, love, love this next idea. I mean, who can resist whimsical snowmen?!
Let's stop a minute and get you another FREE DOWNLOAD!
I know this is December, but chances are you'll be planning for January soon, if you haven't started already. This download offers five printouts that you can sample of a much bigger curriculum that was made for Kindergarteners with the Kinder Common Core ELA & Math standards in mind.
Download it here:
Ok, so we've covered some snowmen craft ideas, but what about snow itself? Or snowflakes?
Here are some ideas you can try out.
This pine branch snowflake printing is one I love to do every year. I've searched online for where this picture came from, but cannot figure it out for the life of me. Just know it wasn't my original idea! It sure makes beautiful snowflakes though - and the kids absolutely love using pine branches to make them.
This one from Lisa's Craft Blog gives a tutorial on how to make not only this adorable puzzle piece snowflake, but a evergreen tree as well!
You can also have fun ripping paper while making a beautiful snowy scene in this next one:
This next one is really cool. And another of my favorites!
So that about wraps it up for this time. I think I've shown you plenty enough for today!
Before I sign off though, I want to show you this December Holidays MEGA Pack that's full of all kinds of themes and activities. I know how crazy the holiday season gets, especially for teachers. This MEGA pack will save you time, time, and more time! (You'll need time for all the above crafts you're going to do, remember?!) So let me show you real quick and then I'll let you go...
Themes included are Polar Express, Gingerbread Man, Christmas Carols (with a Sight Words focus), Common Core aligned ELA & Math daily work and Quick Print activity sheets (that practice a wide variety of skills), Mrs. Claus, the Nativity, and more!
Here are what just a few of the pages look like...there are over 550 of them! Wow!
I would have to say my favorite pack in this bundle is the Christmas Carols one. Students practice high frequency words with Christmas Carols. Love it!
Anyway, so if you're looking for a way to save a ton of time, the work has already been done for you!
You can get ahold of it here:
Well, that sums it all up. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season and tons of fun in the snow!
-Til next time