Snow and Ice in Rock Hill, SC

(No really, there was!)

Last week we got the first snow of the season and school even got cancelled! The children had been wishing for snow for months it seems, so I am glad some finally fell. It wasn't much (it didn't even cover the ground) but I think it satisfied our desires. We'll see...

Our classroom library (book corner) has been stock full of stories of snowfall and fun wintery games, and I have been sharing stories of my experiences growing up in snowy New England. And plus, the movie "Frozen" came out in theaters and about every child in the class has seen it. Needless to say, snow and ice (and Ice Princesses) were on the brain. I tried to make up for the lack of real snow outside by facilitating sensory learning with artificial "snow" inside. We played around with shaving cream, corn starch, and ice, all the while pretending we were in a winter wonderland. The children loved it! But honestly, it seemed for them nothing was as good as exploring the real deal!

Shaving Cream

Looks like snow, right? 

Not really… but it's fun to play with!

"Snow Dough"

Check out the recipe at:

 http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/11/snow-dough-recipe-for-winter-sensory.html

Ice and Cold Climate Mammals

I filled an old baking sheet with water and plastic miniatures of cold climate Mammals, and put it flat in the freezer over night. I took the pan out of the freezer at the beginning of the work cycle and over the course of the morning, the children observed the ice melting and breaking apart. It also presented the opportunity to talk about the variety of mammals that live in frozen habitats.

Snowflake Stamping

We even tried to paint snow into existence, using the bottoms of egg cartons!