The weather outside might be frightful, but teaching and learning
will be delightful with these activities.
Let It Snow!
You will need jumbo craft sticks and an empty plastic cup for this game. Write simple sentences, sight words, letters, math facts, etc. on the sticks with a permanent marker. Glue a snowflake to the end of 2 sticks. Place the sticks in the can with the snowflakes on the bottom. Children pass the cup around, choose a stick, and read the information. If they choose the snowflake they sing, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" and put all their sticks back.
Ice Skating
Give each child 2 paper plates. Demonstrate how to place these on the floor and put one foot on each plate. Slide your feet as if skating. Put on some waltz music and let the children skate, twist, and turn. Play “freeze.” When you stop the music children must “freeze” in their positions. When the music begins again they may continue to skate.
*Write letters, words, math facts, etc. on the plates. When the music stops the children have to exchange plates with a friend and identify the information on the new plates.
Snowballs
Give children scrap paper and have them write sight words, letters, math facts, or other skills on them. Divide the class into two teams and have them stand on opposite sides of the room. Wad up the paper to make snowballs. When the teacher says, "Let it snow!" the children begin throwing the snowballs at the opposite team. They must quickly find a snowball, open it, and identify the information before throwing it back at the other team.
Icebergs
Fill plastic containers with water. Add food coloring and freeze. Place these in your water table and tell the children they are icebergs. Add walruses, polar bears, and other plastic arctic animals.
Melt a Snowman Science Experiment
This is such an easy science experiment, but your kids will get a kick out of it.
Give each child a clear cup with an ice cube in it. Ask them to draw a picture of what it looks like. Have them predict how many minutes it will take their ice cube to melt. Encourage them to draw what it looks like after five minute intervals. Whose ice cube melted the fastest? Whose lasted the longest?
