First Day of Winter
Bulletin Board
Doily Snowman
Need: coffee filters, silver glitter.
Have children fold and cut coffee filters to make snowflakes. Place small dots of glue onto the snowflakes and sprinkle silver glitter over the snowflakes.
Glue the coffee filter snowflakes into1 small circle and 1 large circle to create a snowman. Add face and a scarf (red) with construction paper. Hang on the wall or on a large bulletin board.
Classy Snowpeople
Have each child cut out a large white paper snowman. Ask them to draw in facial features. They may like to add items which depict their interests(birthday snowperson, rollerblade snowperson...). Line the snowpeople up along a class bulletin board and place a banner "Classy Snowpeople" across the top of the bulletin board.
Art
Decorate Mitten Shapes
Cut out large mitten shapes. Have the children drizzly glue onto the mitten shapes. Sprinkle glitter onto the glue. Makes a bright shiny bulletin board display.
Snow Flakes {use coffee filters}
Show the children how to fold coffee filters in half and then in half again. Have them cut small triangles or other shapes out of the folded edges. Unfold to see the snowflakes. Could add silver glitter or colored glue to them to make them shinny)
Beads Snowflake
Need: assorted beads and pipe cleaners
Cut pipe cleaners in half. Choose 3 pieces. Join the 3 pipe cleaners together by twisting them in the center. Then lay flat and spread out the arms (gently).
String the beads on each arm. Place a drop of glue on the last bead of each arm. When dry use fine wire or invisible thread to hang your creates across the top of a bullentin board.
Frosty Pictures
Have the children draw outdoor pictures of pieces of colored construction paper. Make a solution of half Epsom salts and half water. Have the children paint their pictures with the mixture. As the mixture dries, it will leave sparkling crystals on their papers.
Turn any picture into a snowy masterpiece.
Need: boiling water, Epsom salts,paintbrush pictures -- old Christmas cards or wrapping paper work well.
Mix equal parts of boiling water and Epsom salts. Let cool. Pour into a small container and use a paintbrush to cover the picture. As the picture dries, crystals appear making sparkly pictures.
Contributed by BG LTD
Science
Snow Gauge
Need: a large empty coffee can, ruler, marking pen (permanent ink).
Tape the ruler inside the can. When it snows, place the can outside in a clear place. When it stops snowing, bring the can inside and note which mark on the ruler the snow has reached.
Cooking
Snowman Salads
Need: Cottage cheese, lettuce leaves, raisins, small carrot sticks.
Place lettuce leaves on plates and top with round scoops of cottage cheese. Then let the children make snowman faces on their scoops of cottage cheese, using the raisins(eyes & mouths) and carrot sticks (nose).
Edible Snowflakes
Using the same technique as cutting out paper snowflakes, make snowflakes out of flour tortillas. Put a touch of oil in a pan and fry tortilla until it is crisp. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar. Make tortilla snowflakes as above. Spread butter on one side of the tortilla and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar.
Sites To See
Recommended Book
Dormouse Dreams
by Karma Wilson
A charming story-in-verse tale of a dormouse who dreams as he sleeps through the winter. As the dormouse sleeps in his tree burrow, other woodland animals are shown playing outside. As the snow falls, dormouse dreams of spring and a visit from his friend, and all the fun they will have.
Dormouse Dreams is enhanced by illustrations using muted colors that create the feelings of dreams and winter. A wonderful book about friendship.
Learn About Winter Video
