A Little Bit of Winter - a Wintry Storytime

Winter

A Storytime Lesson Plan for Preschool Children

This story time lesson for preschool age children highlights some of the "coolest" aspects of winter: ice and snow! In addition to some neat winter stories, snowy games, and art, this lesson plan even presents a basic gospel message.

Introduction: Show pictures of snowy scenes. Find pictures of your own or from the library that show some of the extremes in winter weather: ice encrusted lampposts, glaciers, or blizzards. Then show some of the more serene winter scenes such as outdoor ice skating, snow skiing, or children making snow angels. Discuss with the children some of the experiences they've had in the snow.

Tactile/Ice Exploration Opener: Have a prepared snowman for the children to see and explore. A couple of days prior to the storytime, pour water into two round balloons. Make one larger than the other, and place in the freezer. On the day of the lesson, take the frozen balloons out of the freezer and carefully remove the balloons from the ice. Place the larger of the frozen balls in the bottom of a shallow baking dish or pan, then place the smaller frozen ball on top. It might help to place a little water on the lower ice ball in order to facilitate the two sticking together. You now have a small frozen snowman. You can freeze three balls for a more traditional looking snowman, but extra care needs to be taken to make sure the three balls stick together. As the snowman begins to melt, it will become more sturdy. Cut some accessories out of felt for the snowman. Wrap a felt scarf around his neck, place three round black felt buttons on his tummy, and make little eyes, a nose and a mouth. If you have a little hat that fits, use it. The children will be fascinated and will see that "A Little Bit Of Winter" (today's story) really does bite!

Story: A Little Bit of Winter, by Paul Stewart. (I have a big book version of this, which is very nice, but any edition will do.) Discuss the wintry aspects of this story. Have the children ever felt winter "bite?" If you live in a warm winter area, the icy snowman will provide a wonderful wintry experience for the children.

Rhyme: "My Pet Snowball" (original author unknown)

"I made myself a snowball, just as perfect as could be.

I thought I'd keep it as a pet and let it sleep with me.

I gave it some pyjamas and a pillow for its head.

Then last night, it ran away, but first - it wet the bed!"

Game: "Pass the Snowball"

Sit in a circle and play wintry music, (such as "Winter Wonderland,") while passing around a "snowball" made of a wad of fluffy cotton or even a ball of wadded white paper. Stop the music periodically, and have the person caught holding the "snowball" sit in the middle of the circle. Continue until everyone has had a chance to sit in the circle.

Fingerplay: "Chubby Little Snowman" (original author unknown)

"A chubby little snowman had a carrot for a nose,

Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?

That hungry little bunny was looking for his lunch...

And he ATE that snowman's nose...

nibble, nibble, - CRUNCH!"

Book:  Snowflakes, by Kenneth Libbrerecht. Enjoy browsing through this large photo book featuring incredibly magnified photographs of many actual snow crystals.

Discussion: The Bible talks about snow! Ask the children whether they knew that the Bible mentions snow. Psalm 147:16 says of God: "He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes." God created winter, snow, and ice, and each individual snow flake and ice crystal is an amazing work of art! 

Snow is also used as a representation of spiritual purity.  Explain how God washes away our sins and makes us white as snow. Discuss the imagery of snow, and how it represents purity. These concepts are rather abstract for young children, but they have the ability to understand the basic imagery. Use this opportunity to introduce a simplified gospel message to your audience.

Bible Verse Bracelets: 

(Print out, on a brightly-colored sheet of paper, today's verse repeated down the page. Cut between each verse so that you have 10-15 strips, each with the verse printed on it. Ask the children to form a line, and using tape to stick the ends together, wrap a "Bible Verse Bracelet" round each little wrist. Some children do not want to wear it; in that case, hand it to them and tell them to use the verse as a bookmark. The children love these, and come to expect them at each session! The verses also find their way home to parents and siblings, and help to spread the news about that day's storytime.)

Isaiah 1:18  "I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool." (CEV)

Song: "Whiter Than Snow," the age-old hymn, sung by Keith Lancaster and Rodney Britt. This beautiful version of this familiar song would be lovely to play while showing the pictures in the Snowflakes book!  Whiter Than Snow 

Art: Puffy snowmen. Prepare a mixture of shaving cream, white glue, and silver glitter. The percentage of shaving cream to glue should be about 60/40 or 70/30. Sprinkle in an adequate amount of glitter to make a pleasing sparkling effect. Give each child a piece of dark blue construction paper or card stock. Draw (or have prepared beforehand) the outline of a snowman on each piece of paper. Let the children finger paint the shaving cream mixture onto their snowmen, filling in the outlines. Give each child a construction paper scarf, some buttons, some eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and let them stick these onto their creations. After a while, the puffiness caused by the shaving cream will flatten out, but the artwork is left with a sparkly, feathery effect.

Thanks to bigactivities.com for the Snowman parts template!

Back to School - Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

Storytime Lesson - Back to School!

Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, by Eric Litwin and James Dean 

Preschool Themes: Going to School, Shoes, Anxiety

Christian Themes: Anxiousness, Trust in God

Introduction: This storytime lesson is ideal for sharing right before the school year starts. Whether your children are going back to preschool or starting kindergarten or elementary school for the first time, this lesson confronts their fears and teaches them about all the fun awaiting them at school.

Bring in several pair of shoes, preferably in funky colors and styles. Ask the children which is their favorite. Ask them if they've had to get new shoes for the new school year. Take a few minutes to talk about back-to-school shopping and some of their expectations about school. What kinds of things will they do at school? What are some of the things they'll see?

Read: Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, by Eric Litwin. Discuss the various situations Pete the Cat encountered in the book. Was Pete anxious (nervous, scared) about going to school for the first time? What did he get to do there? Did he have fun? Is he looking forward to going back again?

Song Activity: "It's time to Go to School" (Act out and sing to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell.)

It's time to go to school,

It's time to go to school,

Ring, ring, it's time to go,

It's time to go to school.

Let's put our red shoes on,

Let's put our red shoes on,

Ring, ring, it's time to go,

Let's put our red shoes on!

We're riding in the bus,

We're riding in the bus,

Ring, ring, it's time to go,

We're riding in the bus.

We put our things in our cubby,

We put our things in our cubby,

Ring, ring, it's time to sing,

We put our things in our cubby.

We listen at circle time,

We listen at circle time,

Ring, ring it's time to listen,

We listen at circle time.

We paint at the easel,

We paint at the easel,

Ring, ring, it's time to paint,

We paint at the easel.

We eat our food at lunch,

We eat our food at lunch,

Ring, ring, it's time to eat,

We eat our food at lunch.

Continue substituting any relevant lines as long as interest and creativity last!

Bible Verse Bracelets: Philippians 4:6 (CEV) "Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God."

(Print out, on a brightly-colored sheet of paper, today's verse repeated down the page. Cut between each verse so that you have 10-15 strips, (make as many as you anticipate needing,) each with the verse printed on it. Ask the children to form a line, and using tape to stick the ends together, wrap a "Bible Verse Bracelet" round each little wrist. Some children do not want to wear it; in that case, hand it to them and tell them to use the verse as a bookmark. The children love these, and come to expect them at each session! The verses also find their way home to parents and siblings, and help to spread the news about the storytime topic.)

Discuss common fears about going to school with the children. Tell them that it is very normal to have these fears, and that everything will work out fine. Explain to them that they can talk to God any time they want to, and can tell him what they're worried about. God is faithful, hears them, and will be with them in everything they do!

Art Activity: Pete's Groovy Red School Shoes!

Print off the following template and give one to each child. Provide red glitter glue, sequins, buttons, bits of yarn or other fibers, crayons, and anything else you might like and let the kids rock out their school shoes! Hang from the ceiling to add some back-to-school sparkle to your classroom or circle area!