Preschool Story Time - Snowball Fight!!

We have had a snowier winter in Ohio than usual this year!  Winter is always a natural theme for January story times.  This is a bit different from my story time last year but it retains some of the more unusual elements.  What's funny is the weather cooperated too!  We were having a white-out during story time, but we still had a great, full crowd.

Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara

This is a beautifully illustrated book - all in blue and white.  Jack Frost is here for a visit!  A boy runs outside to play with Jack, who challenges him to all kinds of winter fun.  There is a little talk about a snowball fight which is our activity later.

Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright

This is a fun book which hints at Frosty the Snowman.  Sneezy is very, very cold!  He tries everything a human would do to warm up, but he melts and shouts "Make Me Brand New!"  Will he ever feel warm?

My action rhyme this week is so fun too.  Being one who likes to sing everything, I sing this rhyme to 5 Little Ducks.

5 Little Snowmen
5 little snowmen standing in a row (show 5 fingers)
5 little snowmen made of snow (pat belly)
Out came the sun and shone all day (make circle with arms overhead)
And one little snowman melted away (wriggle your body and melt down to the ground).

Continue with 4,3,2,1

There was a Cold Lady who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

Another "Old Lady" book!  This time she swallows a bunch of things which, when she hiccups, shoots out to build a snowman.  I made this felt set last year, as it is VERY easy to do.  I added a new piece this year though, the Old Lady herself!  Everyone wants to touch the felt, and this is a good one for participation.  I hand out the pieces to the kids while I read, and when she hiccups, I let them go up to the flannel board and 'build' the snowman.  They love it.

Here's my little old lady I made this year:

To keep up my ukulele practice, we did a few rounds of 'If You're Happy and You Know It".  I am really enjoying using this is story time.

Snowball Fight by Jimmy Fallon

This is a fun, simple book which is probably a little 'young' for my preschool crowd, but it has some great new vocabulary and leads well into our activity.  Who knew Jimmy Fallon wrote a book?  This was my second year using this book, as it opens up some good discussions!


I don't ALWAYS do a craft.  OK, I do, but this time I decided to do an activity at the end of story time before craft - a SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!  Here are my munitions:

I made them using white hose and fluff.  Start at the toe and stuff it.  Then tie a tight knot as and another knot close to the first.  Repeat with fluff.  It is important to tie TWO knots in between each ball so you can snip in  between the knots to separate the balls.  Each pair of hosiery will make 10-12 snowballs. Yes there are knobs on the sides of my snowballs but the kids didn't care.  They just loved throwing them at me!

AND our craft!

This was my first story time at my new location.  I got a little of 'our old story time lady didn't do things that way'.  I had to breathe and remember that my replacement was probably getting the same thing, and in a few weeks these kids would be used to my structure and own uniqueness and all would be well.  There are things I didn't bring with me from my last branch, and that's OK too.  I know that if I am comfortable and happy with what I am doing, then the kids will have fun.  Just keep swimming!

Thanks for stopping by!

Flannel Friday - Maisy, the Weather-Mouse

This summer I came across the book Maisy Goes Swimming by Lucy Cousins:

It's kind of an odd little book where you undress Maisy from her warm clothes and put on her bathing suit so she can go swimming.  I decided not to use it because it kind of weirded me out, but it gave me an idea.  What if I made a game out of dressing Maisy in weather-appropriate clothing?

This flannel doubles for winter and summer!  You would just ask the children which item is better for Maisy to wear.

Here's what I came up with:

Does Maisy need her bathing suit or her snow suit?

Should Maisy wear her sunglasses or her warm woolly hat?

Does Maisy want to cool off with an ice cream cone or warm up with some hot chocolate?

Will Maisy play with her beach ball or go sledding?

Here is Maisy all ready for Winter!

And here she is all ready for Summer!

I drew all of these items by hand, and outlined them with black fabric paint.

I could see this set being used in many ways - maybe you could make several Halloween costumes for Maisy and let the kids dress her up.  Once you've made the base, you could keep adding to her wardrobe as you come up with new ideas. 

I will definitely be using Maisy this coming winter!  This will make a nice game to play during story time!  Happy Flannel Friday!