Celebrating Snow with the Small Ones

From The Snow Queen
by Edmund Dulac
1911

Last year, my theme for one of my winter lapsit programs was snow. Since snow is in next weeks forecast for the east coast I thought I would share the fingerplays, crafts, songs, etc. we did during our time together.

The songs and fingerplays are not mine, they are found around the Internet with no attribution. Feel free to use them. The interactive game is my creation but I hope you will also find time to "let it snow" with my blessings. Stay warm and happy!

FINGERPLAYS

I'm a Little Snow Person (Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little snow person, short and fat

Here are my buttons, here is my hat.

When the sun comes out, I cannot stay.

Slowly I just melt away.

 

STORY STRETCH

Let’s Make a Snowman

Start with a very tiny snowball (form a fist)

And roll it through the snow (roll hands)
Over and over and over again. Each turn makes it grow (pretend you’re pushing a snowball in the snow)
Now the ball is round and big (make ball with arms)
Add a head and then some arms (set on the head and pack on the arms)
Firm so they won’t fall. Now we’ll be the snowmen!
Here are buttons for his coat (Place buttons on)
A broom for him to hold. (Pretend to hold a broom)
Let’s put a hat upon his head (Pretend to put a hat on your head)
So he won’t get cold. (Pose as a cold stiff snowman.)

There’s a Chubby Little Snowman

There's a chubby little snowman with a carrot for a nose (make the

outline of snowman with your hands)

Along came a rabbit and what do you suppose? (hand up in the air like a shrug)

Well that hungry little bunny he was looking for some lunch (hold up your

hand up to your eyebrow like a lookout)

He stole that snowman's carrot and said, “Thanks a bunch!”(reach up to nose and pull)

Five Little Snowmen

Five little snowmen 0n a winter's day

The first one said, "Wake up, so we can play." (pretend to stretch and yawn)

The second one said, "Let's stomp on the ground." (stomp feet)

The third one said, "Let's roll all around."  (roll hands)

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run." (move arms as if running)

The fifth one said, "I'm afraid I feel the sun" (squint, hand shading eyes and look up)

"Oh dear!" cried the snowmen, as they looked toward the sky.

And the five melting snowmen (melting motions with hands)

Waved a fond good-bye. (wave good-by)

 

 

SONGS

Frosty the Snowman - Lyrics found at the link. I cannot list them here due to copyright restrictions..

http://www.41051.com/xmaslyrics/frosty.html

Walk In The Snow (to the tune of 'Mulberry Bush')

"Let's Go Walking in the Snow (walk)

Walking, walking, on tiptoe (tiptoe)

Lift your one foot way up high (hop on one foot)

Then the other to keep it dry (hop on other foot)

All around the yard we skip (skip)

Watch your step or you might slip (pretend to fall)

Dance Like Snowflakes (Sung to Are You Sleeping)

Dance like snowflakes, dance like snowflakes

In the air, in the air, whirling, twirling snowflakes

Whirling, twirling snowflakes, here and there, here and there

INTERACTIVE GAME

This was simple and easy. I brought in a white table cloth and two bags of cotton balls, found at any corner drug store. I taught the children the beginning of the classic song, Let It Snow.

Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful
So since we’ve no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

(If you don’t know the tune see the video at the end of the blog  below.)

After we practiced it a few times I told the children to children to all hold a piece of the cloth. When it was spread out I emptied the cotton balls into the middle. (Be sure to separate the cotton balls before hand because they have a tendency to stick together in the bag.) I told the children we were now all going to sing the song and when we came to the end and the words, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" they were to all wave the cloth up and down to make it snow. The loved it! We did it over and over again. Easy and inexpensive and they even had fun collecting the cotton balls that went awry.

BOOKS ABOUT WINTER

List courtesy of www.perrypubliclibrary.org

• A Little Bit of Winter: by Paul Stewart
• Animals in Winter: by Ronald Fisher
• Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
• Could it be? by Joanne Oppenheim
• Creatures of the Woods: by Toni Eugene
• Deep in the Forest: by Brinton Turkle
• Deer at the Brook: by Jim Arnosky
• Good as new: by Barbara Douglas
• In the Snow by Sharon Denslow
• Little Fern’s First Winter: by Jane Simmons
• Lost! by David McPhail
• Moondance: by Frank Asch
• Owl Babies: by Martin Waddell
• Snow Bears: by Martin Waddell
• The Mitten: by Jan Brett
• When I’m Sleepy / by Jane Howard
• When Will it be Spring? By Catherine Walters

DEAN MARTIN'S RENDITION OF THE SONG "LET IT SNOW."

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.