One of my favorite parts of a great read aloud are all the wonderful activities you can do once the story is over. A few years ago we read “Snowman at Night.” The kids in my class became fascinated by the idea of what snowman do at night. Their excitement led us to create a full curriculum.
We explored math by creating spheres out of playdough for snowman. As we rolled the dough into balls we talked about shapes. We discussed what a snowman would look like if we made it out of cubes instead of spheres. We also counted the balls we made, working on one-to-one correspondence.
When it came to science we brought snow inside and put it in the water table. We explored the properties of snow, made predictions about what would happen to the snow in the table, and added measuring cups to add some math into the exploration.
While the book theme led to great content for math and science, my favorite activities had a literacy component.
Got snow? Make a snowman. Create a tale about what your snowman does at night. Your little one can tell you their tale and you can write it down for them. Make sure to leave room at the bottom of each page for them to illustrate their story. No snow? Your little one can still create a story and illustrate it. No need to stop at a snowman. They can create a story about their favorite toy.
Simply ask the question, “what does your toy/snowman do at night when you’re fast asleep.” You will be amazed at the creative story.
Happy Holidays!
Ms. Giannini