Monday, January 30, 2012

MITTEN WEATHER


Thumbs in the thumb place.           (Hold up palms and stick out thumbs.
Fingers all together.
This is the song we sing                  (Rotate wrists.)
In mitten weather.
When it is cold                              (Wrap arms around and shiver.)
It does not matter whether
Mittens are wool                           (Stick out right hand.)
Or made of finest leather.            (Stick out left hand.)

Mitten Match Game
Cut pairs of mittens out of different colors of construction paper, felt, or fun foam.  Use the mittens to play a matching game.  Hide one of each mitten in the room as the children hide their eyes.  Pass out the other mittens to the children and have them “meow” as they hunt around the room for the matching mitten.

*You can create other matching games using mittens.  Write upper and lowercase letters on mittens; numerals and number words; antonyms; pictures and sounds, and other skills you are focusing on.  Children clothespin the matching pairs together.

I made this mitten match game for my grandson years ago.  I was using them to teach my granddaughter colors on my last visit when my grandson said, “Can you hide those for me to find?”  I think of all the toys that have gone by the wayside over the past four years, but those little mittens have not been lost.  In fact, my daughter said there were four first grade boys at her house the other day getting out of control.  She got out the mitten game and they played it for over an hour!!!  Seriously!  The Mario race track lasted 30 minutes and those simple little mittens entertained them for an hour and a half.  Once again proving that plain vanilla is the best “flavor” for children!