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Snow Time!

YOUR TRUSTED PARTNERIN EARLY CAREAND EDUCATION

Elgin Child & Family Resource Center A program of One Hope Uni210 National St., Elgin, IL 60120 847.697.71

Playing with snow can be animportant winter-time experience forpreschoolers. When children play withsnow, they can strengthen their ne- andgross-motor skills. They can also apply basicprinciples of art, science, and engineering.

Help children to study snow asthey play. Encourage safety and respect for others

work by inviting children to help makerules for using snow on the playground.

Ask questions that invite children to inves-tigate: Which do you think is heavier

this bucket of snow or that bucket of wa-ter? Where is the snow deepest on theplayground? Where does it melt rst?

Bring snow indoors for some experiments.For example, how long does it take for asnowball to melt on the playground? Inthe refrigerator? In the classroom?

Encourage children to buildwith snow. Introduce words such as pack, freeze,

melt, and snowdrift. Show the classphotographs of snowakes and naturasnow formations. Share nonction boomagazines, Web sites, and videos abways that people have used snow tomake structures or art.

Let children plan structures or designsthat they want to create with snow. Homuch space will they need? How willthey shape and pack the snow? Do thwant to include other items, such as stsand, or ice?

Provide sturdy buckets and shovels. Adshallow bins or pans for making brickblocks of snow. Some children may enusing yardsticks to measure snow dept

Throughout the winter, help childrennotice and describe different types ofsnowdry, wet, slushy, etc. Ask them compare what its like to make structuror designs with each type of snow.

Source: http:illinoisearlylearning.org/tipshee

January 20

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Focus on a ClassroomThe teachers and children in Room 111 broughtthe outdoors inside. The children were so excited

to see the snow falling and collecting on theground that the teachers wanted them to experi-ence it rst-hand. Sensory tubs were lled withsnow and the children used their senses toexplore. The children noticed the snow was

cold and practiced language skills to expresstheir thoughts. The children also discussed thecolor of the snow and listened to the sound thesnow made as it was packed together.

The children learned about the proper clothing needed forcold weather outdoor play and practiced identifying theclothing such as gloves, mittens, scarf and hat. Math skillswere enhanced as the children counted snowake annelboard pieces and matched mittens. We also practicedliteracy skills as we enjoyed these snowy weather books:The Snowman, Snow and 5 Little Penguins.

Give Me Five!Talking to your child plays a very important part in their learning anddevelopment even at a very young age. Your child will value the timetogether, and they will increase their vocabulary skills while having con-versations. Embrace each opportunity to listen to and talk to your child.

One easy way to do this is to turn off the radio while traveling togetherand encourage your child to talk to you about where they think you maybe going and what will happen when you get there. At home, turn offthe TV, and spend some time talking about their day and what they mayhave enjoyed while at the center.

To encourage your child to listen and use language to express ideas, involve your child inactivities that require listening and following directions. An example would be to ask yourchild to take off their shoes and to place them by the door or to offer them a ball and askthem to place it above their head. Magazines are also good resources to encourage expres-

sion by having your child look at pictures and describe what they see happening in them.

Any conversation you engage your child in will promote language development and is awonderful way to spend quality time together.

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Thank You!Thank you to all of the families and staff that donated tothe warming tree. Your contributions were much appreci-ated. The tree was lled with hats, gloves and scarvesand will come in handy during the cold winter months!

Winter FestivalThe teachers and families had such a great time dur-ing our Winter Fest! Everyone was able to participatein several winter-related activities. The children wereable to create rabbit food by adding a variety of drycereal and fruits to a plastic bag. They also decoratedtheir own gingerbread man, snowman and pictureframes with foam pieces. Families were also able to takea photo in front of our Winter Wonderland scene if theydesired! Anyone who could not stay was able to takean activity home to complete as a family! What a greatway to get into the spirit of winter!

ParkingWith the cold weather,

it is very tempting towant to park close tothe building to drop-offor pick-up your children,especially if it is justfor a minute or two.However, parking nextto the building meansthat you are choosingto park illegally in there lane. For the safetyof the children, pleasemake sure that you areparking in a designatedparking spot.

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