White Dot Snowkids



Looking for something simple to keep the kiddos busy while you're making dinner?

 

Make some snowkids out of white dot stickers!

 

This is super easy, inexpensive, and a great quiet time activity for kids.  We used Avery 1" mailing seals, like these:

 

I got them in the office supply section at Wal-Mart, but I have seen them at Dollar Tree too.

 

Let your kid stack them up on a sheet of construction paper and add details with crayons or markers.  This is the creation my daughter made:

Her snowgirl has boots!  You can't see the top, but she also put the dots in a line and wrote her name.  She wrote one letter on each dot.

 

This is my son's winter day creation:

He added some cool facial features, but then decided he wanted his snowpeople to be robots, so he colored them gray!  Creativity at work!

 

This activity is a great storytelling tool as well.  Let your kid draw and create 'til their little heart is content, then ask him/her to tell you all about it.  What are the snowkids doing?  Where are they?  What is the weather like there?  The possibilities are endless!

 

Happy crafting with your kiddos!

Build-Your-Own Snowman Kit

As I was making the playdough for our class to build their own snowmen, it struck me that it would be fun to make a Build-Your-Own Snowman Kit!  When I thought of this, it was getting late, and my daughter's birthday was the next day.  But...being the kind of person that can't seem to stop until something is done and knowing that my girl adores anything crafty and creative, I forged ahead and decided that this kit would be one of her birthday presents!

Want to make one for your kiddo?  It's easy peasy!  Check it out...

 

I already had all of the "ingredients" at home or in the recycling bin.  (My husband teases me for saving boxes and other recyclables, but they come in handy for crafting!)  I packaged these little goodies in a sandwich-sized zipper bag.  Here is what I gathered: 

• Scarves: colorful strips of fabric that I thought my girl would like.  Don't you love the rainbow cheetah print?!  I snipped fringe at the end of each.
• Eyes: assorted sizes of googlies
• Nose: large orange pony bead and the orange tip of an Elmer's glue bottle
• Buttons: various sizes and colors
• Arms: popsicle sticks and bobby pins
• Hat: recycled top from a sports bottle
• Miscellaneous: small silver bells, heart hairpin and silver string, all for extra embellishments
 



Next I used my favorite playdough recipe (below) that I learned about when I first started teaching

pre-k.  I doubled the recipe, let it cool, and packaged it in a clear bag with a twist tie.  You could even add vanilla or peppermint to scent it or glitter to add a little sparkle!

 

Then I went back to the recycling bin and found the perfect container to package everything in.  (A large, clear, plastic container works best.)  I grabbed some complementary blue construction paper to cover the original pretzel label, then printed my own Build-Your-Own Snowman label to top it off.  Since it was a birthday gift, I also added a cute little bow as well.  :)

 

When she found her kit on the table the next morning, she was so excited!  After school, she made her first of many adorably sweet snowmen.  I love how she tipped the hat over to the side and used all 3 scarves!  This is definitely going to be one of her favorites for awhile.  :)

 

If you decide to make this cute, little treat for your sweet pea, be sure to leave a comment.  I'd love to see pictures of your little crafter's snowmen!  Have fun!!

 

 

Homemade Playdough Recipe

(This is for a single batch.  Double everything for an extra large, softball-sized ball of dough.)

 

1 C. water

1 C. flour

1/2 C. salt

1 T. cream of tartar

1 T. canola/vegetable oil

food coloring, glitter, etc (if desired)

 

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir constantly, making sure to scrape bottom and sides of pot as playdough begins to solidify.  Remove from heat once dough is no longer sticky and has formed a ball.  Let cool on counter.  While still warm, knead dough.  (This is the point where you would add food coloring, glitter, etc.)  Store in an air-tight container or zipper bag.





Snowboys & Snowgirls

Today, we started our new Letter of the Week, Oo, and talked about how it is one of those tricky vowels that makes two sounds.  Ask your kiddo if he/she can tell you (and show you with sign language) Oo's two different sounds.

 

  We read the book:

 

In art/literacy, we made these darling snowmen out of torn paper.  (I saw this idea on Pinterest.)  We asked each child what their snowman (or snowgirl) did at night, and we got some pretty awesome responses!  Check out the one below:

 

Isn't that super cute?!

 

For math, we worked on size discrimination (from Royal Baloo), and most kids have a good handle on this.  We gave them several snowmen, which they placed in the small, medium or large boxes.

 

In literacy, we worked on matching uppercase letters (on snowman's buttons) to lowercase letters (on snowman's hat).  This was an optional activity, but I was happy to see that many children wanted to play! :)

 

We also had a felt snowman set available for the kiddos to play with.  I heard some pretty funny stories during playtime!  Bonus - I even got to quiz them on the name of the bird that's on one snowman's hat!

 

Hope you're having a marvelous Monday!