As much as I don't care for winter, there is something to be said about the magic of snow. It's so enticing to kids that it's the perfect theme to integrate into that classroom that is sure to engage and excite your students. I've shared some of my favorite winter activities!
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Lucky for me, Air and Weather is one of our NGSS aligned science units of study. I supplement our curriculum with my absolute favorite nonfiction snow text. It includes content specific vocabulary and opportunities for cross-curricular integration. There is so much math behind how a snowflake is formed- I love every page of this book.
You can find it on Amazon here.
This is the anchor chart that I use each year to record our key details as we read the text. I've laminated it and only write on the post-its. How perfect are those star shaped post-its that kind of look like snowflakes?!
These are also on the top of my list for nonfiction books about snow.
Snow is Falling Curious About Snow
If your science unit focuses on Solids, Liquids and Gases and you integrate snow- this is the perfect nonfiction text!
You can find it here.
In attempt to make this hand on, there are so many phenomenal resources for you to make your own snow. Each year, I've done things a little different. I once used a snow making kit where I just added water. Then students placed a handful of "snow" on a black piece of construction paper and explored what they saw.
You can find a "just add water" kit on Amazon here for a great price!
This year I had my kiddos make snow slime! It was ALL the rage and this time, they were able to take it home with them. I found the recipe on a blog over on Pinterest. You can find it on my board here! I've included the ingredients below.
SNOW SLIME
click to shop each link
2 bottles clear Elmer' s Glue (we substituted with white)
(*Substitute Elmer's gallon size if using for complete class)
Confetti (In store at Michaels)
Last year we made "snow paint" with shaving cream and Elmer's glue. I wish I had a recipe to give you but I totally winged it- ha! This was such a blast too. We accompanied it with this super cute and fun activity from The Primary Pack. You can find this printable here and blue paper here.
It's perfectly paired with the book Sneezy the Snowman, which you can find here.
Another favorite is this snowy classic by Lyndsey Kuster from a Year of Many Firsts. I'm sure you've seen them all over Instagram and Pinterest and thought I have to do this too!!! She is the genius behind this precious creation and you can find the templates FREE here!
In years past I used liquid glue and had students create snowflakes to sprinkle with glitter. After reading my good friend Maria's post on this craftivity, she shared how she uses her favorite adhesive spray and snow glitter. The snow glitter is thicker, fluffier and truly adds texture. In order to truly let these shine, I made this slight adjustment and couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out. I keep them up for weeks!
While Maria uses the Scotch 3m multi-purpose adhesive spray, I found the Elmer's adhesive spray for a great price. I used one bottle last year (with plenty left over for this year) and it had perfect coverage!
You can find the Elmer's Glue adhesive spray here. This snow glitter is perfect for all your winter needs. You can find it here!
Another way to integrate snow into the classroom is with this adorable snowflake addition craftivity! It's the perfect way to review so many skills including double digit addition and describing your thinking. Students used number models such as tens frames, number lines and number sentences to show their thinking. It was also easily differentiated- you can have students choose their numbers or you can "suggest" numbers for each individual students. Last year I did a combination of both.
I saw this on Cara's blog over at The First Grade Parade after she saw it on another blog and added her little spin. Fortunately, Johanna from First Grade Fanatic created a black line master template!! Woohooo, thank you Johanna for saving us so much time! You can find it here.
Another quick tip! I love to have name labels printed for my crafts. I have a master copy on paper that I keep in the labels envelope. I copy the master on the labels as needed. You can find the labels here.
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