Winter

Such a fun transition, to go from Christmas, to a winter wonderland! My kids were so excited as I set up, and spent all day Monday playing Snow Queen and King.

Dramatic Play
Days 1 and 2, a winter wonderland. There was snow to shovel, "snowballs" to throw, and hot chocoa to make, plus winter animals and snowmen to play with. On the dress up side, were hats and gloves and mittens, along with snowmen and penguin masks. They loved it and had so much fun! The pretend play was fantastic, ranging from snowball fights and regular hot chocolate making, to penguin friends dancing around, and the hot chocolate salesman adjusting to make hot chocolate just for penguins. They enjoyed shoveling more than I expected, and even attempted snow angels.











The hot chocolate stand was a last minute addition after I had set up. I dyed rice brown with brown paint and rubbing alcohol, but it turned out light, so I could have just used brown rice. I added cocoa for the smell, but it didn't stay on either. I didn't clean out the hot chocolate can, so you could really smell it while they played. I love that it added to the sensory play of hot chocolate making. They loved this area, and it always had 2 people working. It got messy, as expected, but I was surprised how much actually stayed on the sheet under the table.



Day 3, I took out the snow and hot chocolate stand, and added the mitten from our activity the day before. The animals stayed as well, and, of course, deer and moose joined the others inside the mitten. They insisted I read the book over and over as they took turn acting out parts. They had fun being able to play in the mitten without all the kids in there to tell the story. It gave the kids who didn't want to with the whole class (understandably) try it out.

Day 4, was the same as day 3, except I added a snow cave and some stuffed bears. We talked a bit about hibernation, and it's a perfect segueway into our next unit on bears.

Blocks

Winter puzzles

Snowman counting bottles

Cardboard bricks

Duplo legos

Art

Day 1, we had a sensory day and played in "snow." This is pretend snow that expands in water. It's a huge hit every year! They also had arctic animals and penguins, plus plastic "ice crystals." I loved the pretend play that went on here too.
Added bonus, they had lots of questions about their animals, so I pulled down my arctic animal books and we read about walruses and penguins. Learning sticks and becomes more authentic when it's something the kids are interested in.

My boys played in this almost non-stop the next 2 days!


Day 2, we did epsom salt painting. It's one of those projects that isn't super interesting as they do it, because it just looks like water, but is super fun to see the results, once the water evaporates and only the salt remains. They were excited to see their dried pictures the next day and compare them.

Day 3, I brought in a bucket of snow for them to paint. I had cups of colored water and brushes, and they painted away. It was always a busy center. Once they'd used up most of the water to paint and mix, I added spoons and they started to dig and build with the cups. Once kids asked for help building snowmen, we talked about making big, medium, and small balls. I pulled out beads for faces, and pipe cleaners for arms. This center stayed busy all day.


Day 4, was "snow paint," which is a mixture of shaving cream, elmers glue, and glitter. This is the opposite of the epsom salt paint, where this is more about the experience than result. They liked the fluffy snow and took lots of turns painting. Once it dries, it's not quite as interesting, since it loses all its fluff.

Small Manipulatives

The magnet board had snowmen to build














Number snowmen with buttons for counting


Mitten ABCs and clothespins. Clothespins are great for fine motor skills, plus the literacy skill of practicing the letter names or putting them in order.
 
Mitten numbers. Same skills as before, just numeracy instead.
 
Frozen folder and magnet games
 
Frozen Memory

Writing

snowflake stickers
 
Snack

To celebrate winter, we had frozen Otter Pops, plus Frozen (the movie) crackers.

We made snowmen with powdered donuts and pretzels and chocolate chips.
 


I cut tortillas into snowflakes, which they informed me didn't look like real snowflakes (thanks guys, I try), and toasted in the oven with olive oil cooking spray and cinnamon/sugar.

Outside
We played in the snow! We shoveled, squirted it with colored water, and tubed down the hill.

2 days, were also spent inside. The first, was when the temp was in the teens after the big storm, and the next was when it was raining, so it was a soggy mess, plus we had a bday at the end of the day to celebrate. They didn't complain about these inside recess days at all, because we played with the parachute! We made mushrooms, sitting on the outside and inside. We sang Round and Round the Seasons Go as we walked and skipped in circles. We shook foam snowflakes on it as we sang Snow is Falling. This was fun since they would fly off. It led to some fun math activities as we'd count how many were left. When we got to low numbers like 5, we'd shake, then count how many were left, and count how many had flown off. Lots of great math! We worked so hard shaking those snowflakes off, we even got hot and sweaty. We bounced bean bags, too. Their favorite part was landing one on the ceiling fan. We reviewed our shapes as we skipped around singing Shape a Loo, and putting our shapes onto the parachute to shake.

Large Group
We learned the word "coniferous" and also reviewed "deciduous." We sorted pictures of trees and looked for trees outside. They had a really good grasp on coniferous evergreen trees by the end of the 2 weeks.

Day 1, we read Millions of Snowflakes, a counting book, then talked about how each snowflake is unique. We then made borax crystal snowflakes. They didn't look much like perfect 6-pointed snowflakes, but looked very much like a preschooler made them, and I love that! I encouraged them to make any shape they wanted with their pipe cleaners and tried to not help much, except to show them how to twist them, so it would truly be their unique snowflake. I often see the perfect ones on pinterest and want to do it for them, but this is their art, so I let them do all the work they can. They sat in a borax/water solution overnight, and turned out awesome! They were so amazed!




Day 2, we read The Mitten by Jan Brett. We then retold the story twice, so each child who wanted a turn to go inside the mitten, could. Each of them tried it. They didn't all like to stay inside, but that's  expected and I don't make them do it if they don't want. Here's some playing in it:


Day 3, we read a seasons book, then made a Venn Diagram to compare winter and summer.

Day 4, we read The Snowy Day, then wrote in our journals about what we like to do on a snowy day. One girl was writing and writing as she scribbled along the lines, left to right, as she said out loud all the things she does in the snow. It was amazing! She clearly recognizes that written words can express our thoughts, and even that it goes left to write, across the lines. She filled 3 pages with her snowy day adventures. Some kids watched her and told me she was writing wrong, since she wasn't drawing a picture at the top of her page like they were. I explained it's because she was writing words and was doing fine. A few other kids then began to scribble along their lines as they told about their snowy day.

Small Group

Week 1, I helped the kids make name snowmen.
Miss Kim played the fly swatter game with the kids, where she drew a number out of a stack of number cards, and the kids had to hit the number on the wall. Once they found the number, she also had them jump that many times, or clap, or some other activity that got them counting.

Week 2, I did a mitten experiment with the kids, where we made a prediction about the warmest gloves, then put them on and put our hands in the snow to find out which ones were warmest. I loved hearing them try to say "prediction" and "conclusion" as we learned about the scientific process.


Miss Kim did winter art with her groups. They painted with blue and white paint, then added glue and epsom salt.

Merry Christmas!

I wish this theme could last all month! There are so many fun Christmas-themed learning activities, that it was hard to narrow them down to just 3 days worth, but I think we got it all crammed in.

Dramatic Play
Christmas tree! I decorated the top half, and they added ornaments as they made them in art, so the bottom was decorated too.
I also have this random assortment of foam Christmas masks I inherited from a retiring teacher back in my public school days. They are a huge hit each year! I added presents under the tree, and we had kids dressed up as Santa, his elves, and reindeer. They turned the bean bag chairs from the reading center into their sleigh, and they spent the day delivering presents to the kids in class. They also went to the writing center to make cards to go with their gift deliveries. I loved watching them play and get along together, plus get creative in their gift giving and play.

 

Blocks
I had out a bean bag toss and bean bags. It was used a lot, but the bean bags also went into the presents for delivery by Santa and his elves.

We played with the magnatiles and jingle bells. They would use them around the blocks since they stuck to the magnets, and they also liked making houses to fill with the bells.


On the last day, I got out our trains and tracks. They loved them! My kids had actually gotten them out over the weekend, and although they weren't on my original plan, I left them out because trains around a tree just says Christmas to me.




Art
Day 1, we made ornaments. I had a variety of foamie ornaments and stickers. I wanted something that didn't have to dry and could be hung up immediately.



 

Day 2, we played with peppermint scented play dough. It made the whole room smell peppermint-y, and we also had the cinnamon smell from the salt dough for small group, so the room smelled extra Christmas-y and yummy! I love adding the smells into the sensory play.




Day 3, we painted our dried salt dough ornaments. When I look at the Pinterest versions, they're all perfect and cute and I want that, but I also want them to be the kids' creations, so they were not perfect, but I think they turned out pretty darn cute. Hope you enjoyed them as well! A few kids chose not to paint them, and a few missed school the last day, so some of you also got to enjoy them in all their natural color glory!
 


Small Manipulatives
Christmas tree and Santa magnets


I used styrofoam christmas trees with pipe cleaners in them, and the kids decorated them with beads. Its a great fine motor exercise for little fingers!

The next day, I used the same trees, but put thumb tacks in them and had small elastics for them to stretch over them, to make geoboards. This was my first year trying it. They each tried it at some point, but not many of them stayed for long. It was a pretty difficult skill, but definitely doable.

On the third day, we had Christmas tree print outs on cookie sheets, with magnetic pom pom balls to decorate them. This is a great fine motor skill, and also helps teach counting and number recognition.
 
On the table, I had out foam gingerbread men, with pom poms, bows, and gems they could use to decorate and re-decorate them. I had a lot of fun at this center with a group of kids, making silly gingerbread men. I added the tweezers to help with fine motor skills, but they mostly used their hands, which was easier.
 

Writing
The first and third day, I had out Christmas cards (thank you Dollar Tree!), and they were a huge hit. I think we went through 40. Some made some to take home for family, while others used them as part of their play in delivering, and I had quite a few delivered to me. It was just great watching them write and color as they dictated what they were "writing." This is such an important pre-writing skill.

The second day, I had out Christmas stamps. Some came home with the stamps also up and down their arms. We also had a lot of pretty pictures made and delivered to each other.
 
Large Group
Day 1, we read the Grinch who Stole Christmas, then talked about being kind to show love at Christmastime. We made hearts where they kids drew, and we wrote, what they could do to be kind at home, and what they could do to be kind at school. We sent the family ones home, and hung up the school ones on our wall to help us remember.

Day 2, we read the Polar Express. Then we made jingle bell necklaces. I wanted them to make patterns, and they were great at following and extending the patterns I made first. Some of them made patterns, while others would make 1 pattern for a bit, then switch to another one. Some didn't make a pattern at all, but that was fine. Threading the beads onto the string was a difficult, but doable, fine motor skill for them.

Day 3, was our Christmas party. Thanks to the moms who came and helped! We rotated between 4 different centers to learn about different holiday celebrations. Each read a book and did a craft.
Group 1 celebrated Christmas by making beaded candy canes on pipe cleaners. They worked on fine motor skills, as well as patterning.
Group 2 celebrated Saint Lucia Day from Sweden by making hats. The girls made wreath hats with candles like Saint Lucia wears, and the boys made cone-shaped star hats.
Group 3 celebrated Kwanzaa by weaving mats, called Mkeka. It was a great fine motor skill for them.
Group 4 celebrated Hanukah by playing the Dreidel game. They loved it! I sent home a bag of Hanukah gelt (chocolate coins) and a dreidel made from a pencil, if they wanted to try to play again at home.

Small Group
My group used cinnamon salt dough found here, to make handprint mittens, inspired by this. I loved how the smell enhanced the play. They really wanted to eat them since it smelled so good! I did cinnamon graham crackers for snack Thursday, since they wanted to eat cinnamon so much, and they tasted much better than the salt dough would have.

Miss Kim's group worked on spelling their names and putting the letters in order, by making name Christmas trees. It was a little difficult, making the names go vertical, but they got it with help. They got to decorate them with markers too.

Feelings and Emotions

Dramatic Play
Doctor's Office



 
 
 

 
 The pictures pretty much explain it all. There was a waiting room, receptionist desk with calendar and notebooks, plus a phone, then the dr. office. There was a big chair for the big patients, and a baby bed for the dolls. We have all sorts of dr. tools, plus empty pill bottles, ace bandages, q tips, and popsicle sticks. Each day, I added something new to make it interesting. Day 2, I added glasses and band aids (those were a hit), and the 3rd and 4th days, I added dentist items so it could also be a dentist's office.

Blocks
Cardboard bricks


Puppet Theater


Art
I managed to not take many pics of art this week, but here's what we did:
 
Play dough face mats

Watercolors

Collage faces

Paint

Small Manipulatives
Feelings puzzles and game

Lacing cards

Bristle Blocks

Links, and whatever this collection of things from Wendy's are called.



















Writing
Blank faces for drawing in emotions


Outside
Snow! We switched our schedule to go outside last, to accommodate how long it takes us to get ready to go outside. The snow was so much fun! They love tubing down our little hill, and all tried it. They also love eating the snow. The second week, I also added bottles of colored water to color the snow. We've had a lot of fun outside this week! Please remember we go outside all winter, so pack all the winter clothes they'll need out there. We've had lots of cold hands this week. I have a few extra gloves, but not enough for everyone. And I've appreciated the labeled ones, since a few have been left at school and I've been able to get them home to you.

Large Group
Day 1, we read Meet the Moodsters. The Moodsters help a little boy overcome and talk about some strong feelings. I found it on clearance at Target a few years ago, and the kids love it because it came with a "Moodster Meter" that helps them share their feelings. They loved the book and the meter!
We did an activity with feelings cubes, where I would roll one cube with emotions on it, and another with animals, and they have to act out that emotion and animal. It's fun to watch.

Day 2, we read My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. He uses colors to talk about feelings. We than painted our own feelings. The papers came home just a bunch of mixed colors, but the process was wonderful! As they chose colors, they actually talked about what feeling they were showing with that color. We had a lot of great conversation going on as we painted.

Day 3, we read The Way I Feel. We played the feelings cube game, and acted out lots of different emotions from the book. We also watched a Sesame Street clip about jealousy.

Day 4, we read Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day and talked lots about grumpy feelings. After small group, we got together as a large group again to talk about empathy and thinking about how other people are feeling. We've had a few problems outside, with kids not taking turns with the snow tubes, or just jumping on them in front of other, instead of waiting in line. We watched a Sesame Street clip about empathy, then as we got them dressed in their snow clothes, they watched part of a Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood episode about the same topic. It was nice to discuss a relevant topic, and we related that once outside, that they needed to think about how other people are feeling before they used a tube twice in a row, or butted in line, or took it from another person. The talk definitely helped!

Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood are awesome resources for learning about feelings! I love how they describe and show them on a child's level. I especially like the songs Daniel Tiger sings. We used the song about anger all week, "When you feel so mad, that you want to roar. Take a deep breath, and count to 4." I recommend looking up episodes of both of these shows if there's a particular thing you want to teach your child, or help them with. It's most helpful when you also take the time to discuss it with them.

Small Group
Week 1, I talked to the kids about anger and sadness. We read a book about anger, then role played several situations that could make them feel angry. We practiced taking a deep breath and counting, then talking calmly to express our feelings. They were GREAT at role playing, and without much prompting, knew exactly how to express their feelings. Although, minutes later, they were fighting over blocks again and yelling, hitting, and throwing, instead of taking deep breaths and talking about it. But, that's why we're still in preschool. We'll keep working on this throughout the year.

Miss Kim did this Sesame Street worksheet to help kids talk about their feelings.

Week 2, my group and I role played different feelings with puppets in the puppet theater. I had it out in the block center this week for them to play with, so it wouldn't be new. I know they wouldn't be able to use it how I intended in a lesson, if they hadn't had a chance to play and explore with it first.
They were a lot of fun, and I loved role playing with them. Even the kids who don't like to talk in front of the class, were fine doing the puppet show. It was cute watching them choose an emotion and then act it out. It was also fun watching them doing it again during free time, after having done it with me.

Miss Kim helped the kids make pipe cleaner faces. She read an emotions book with them, and they would change their pipe cleaner to make that face expression. Then they glued on the mouth to bring their face home.