Opening Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It" [standing up] with whispered added verse "If it's storytime and you know it, say Shhhh..."
Letter of the Day
Letter of the Day
BEFORE OUR FIRST BOOK, LET’S DO SOME THINGS THAT START WITH W [seated]. We can WIGGLE. We can WHISPER. We can WINK (some of us—if you can’t wink, blink!). We can WISH. Close your eyes and make a wish. Now let's have a story.
Book: Snowballs by Lois Ehlert [Talk about items in collage/sack; on every snowperson page,
ask kids to identify what was used for the nose. "Have you ever made a
snowman? What did YOU use for the nose?]
I'm A Little Snowman
(tune: I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little snowman
short and fat--
here are my buttons;
here is my hat.
When the sun comes out, then
you will see
I melt...til there's...no...more...of...me.
I'm a little snowman
short and fat--
here are my buttons;
here is my hat.
When the sun comes out, then
you will see
I melt...til there's...no...more...of...me.
[do standing up, melt down to floor at end]
[So, when snowpeople melt…do their scarves and buttons melt, too? No. What are snow and ice made of? Water, when it freezes. When it melts, it turns back into…water! We’re going to stand up and do a song where we get to freeze and melt, just like water!]
Book: When Winter Comes: Discovering Wildlife in Our Snowy Woods
Action Rhyme: Down We Go!
We climb and climb and climb and climb [march heavily, as if trudging in boots in snow, exaggerated slowly]
up the hill of snow.
[kids walk fingers up their own arms or legs, or their grownups' arms]
We jump [JUMP] on our sleds, and [exaggerate going from slow to fast] Wheeee!
down we go! [Let fingers whee down arm or leg]
up the hill of snow.
[kids walk fingers up their own arms or legs, or their grownups' arms]
We jump [JUMP] on our sleds, and [exaggerate going from slow to fast] Wheeee!
down we go! [Let fingers whee down arm or leg]
Song with Scarves: “The Walrus Washes his Winter Coat”--original by Brytani Fraser
Book: Red Sled by Lita Judge
Closing Song: Laurie Berkner's "These Are My Glasses" a cappella. "Today, everything we find in our book will begin with W." Possibles before opening to kids for suggestions: wet warthog! Wicked witch! Wild wildebeest! (wolf, woodpecker, weasel, whale)
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Alternate rhymes
It is Snowing, It is Snowing
It is snowing, it is snowing,
on my head, on my head.
I should put a hat on, I should put a hat on,
on my head, on my head...
Barbara at Perpetual Preschool: As you sing, name the body part and let the children pick out the correct article of clothing to finish the verse. We did this at circle time with child-sized clothing and as we sang, the teacher "put on" the clothing. The kids found this very funny.
Action Song [in Minnesota]: "The Minnesota Spider" [First, we'll sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," and then I'll teach you a version just for our state, "The Minnesota Spider"!]
The Minnesota spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the snow and
froze the spider out.
Out came the sun, but
it didn't do a thing--
so the Minnesota spider
stayed frozen until Spring.
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the snow and
froze the spider out.
Out came the sun, but
it didn't do a thing--
so the Minnesota spider
stayed frozen until Spring.
Books to swap in or add:
Sally's Snow Day--Sally is a dog, and this is perfect for reading in a very cold climate where dogs need to wear booties and sweaters to go for walks! Simple text, could even work as a board book
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
[Have kids be mom on refrain, yelling “Frooogggy!” Talk briefly about print awareness before starting and demonstrate by pointing at/underlining Froggy's name each time mom yells it. Have kids pretend to put on items of clothing as Froggy does]
When Winter Comes: Discovering Wildlife in Our Snowy Woods
Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr
