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Here is a FUN winter themed penguin workboxing unit for lower elementary. Lots of fun hand on learning activities. Also included is a FUN hands on activity with the book THE MITTEN. My 4 year old son LOVED this activity!!
Winter Science anyone? Watch how salt melt ice and have a blast doing it! A great hands on science project for lower elementary and preschool!
Here is a SNOWY DAY Unit study based on the Usborne book by Anna Milbourne. Lots of fun hands on project ideas for little hands! All Montessori Inspired! FREE PRINTABLES
Get these FREE Printables by subscribing to my newsletter. You will receive a link and passcode via email after you subscribe. If you are already a subscriber, the link and passcode goes out with each weekly newsletter (on Friday) Penguin Toob 3 part cards
You can use buttons, mini marshmallows, cotton balls or white pom poms as counters for the snowman coutning cards. Play a game of memory match with the snowflake cards (print on card stock so you can’t see through them!). I recommend laminating for extended use. Visit other Homeschool Blogging Network Blogs for More Winter Ideas
Several of our boxes comes from a theme kit from The Mailbox. It’s great b/c the items already come laminated, you just have to cut out! This kit has penguins and solar systems (we will use the solar system later) and is labeled for First Grade. I purchased several on a steal of a deal, and this is the first I’ve actually used them. Above I added penguin beads (instead of the paper penguins that came with it) from Oriental Trading. It’s has word problems on the card for adding and subtracting penguins from the piece of ice. From The Mailbox also – rhyming words Adding and Subtracting clip cards Fill in the missing number using 100 board number tiles Penguin toob from Safari Ltd and 3 Part cards made by me
Spelling The Mailbox 3D shapes – we will also use our light table 3D shapes with this activity. Location words book made to go with the book The Mitten (Pictured below). I bound the book and cut out little mittens to use. This is an activity I made to go with the book. I made a huge white mitten out of felt and gathered toy animals to match the ones in the book for my 3yo to put inside the mitten. He loves when I have animals in his boxes….and this one has been a huge hit this week! The only animal I could not find was a mole – so I used a hamster. Here is where I got the animals – Bear, owl and fox we had on hand from Lakeshore learning animals. But you can also get them from Safari Ltd (Bear, Fox, Owl), I ordered a badger, the white rabbit came from the Arctic Toob, the hamster (aka mole), hedgehog and mouse came from the Pets Toob (which also has a brown rabbit, if you don’t have a white one).
More pics:
Counting clip cards ABC penguins
We also have lots of great books on Penguins, Seasons and Specifically Winter.
Printables used this unit: Homeschool Creations – The Mitten Printables A Teaching Mommy – Polar Lands 1plus1puls1equals1 Winter Tot Pack 3 Dinosaurs – Winter Pack Royal Baloo – Snowman Pack
These are just a few of the things I have in our boxes. See my The Snowy Day Unit post for more great winter ideas, and My Penguin Unit post.
Welcome to Workbox Wednesday! If you use workboxes, tot trays, or anything similar, feel free to post a link to your blog post or a picture (pictures can be from facebook, but please make sure they are PUBLIC so we can see them, or use a host like photobucket.com to get a URL for your photo) that shows WHAT IS IN YOUR BOXES!
Visit others that link up, leave comments, follow, etc. The favors will be returned! Feel free to grab a button too, so others can find the link up and join in the fun!
Here is a sneak peak at the preschool curriculum I’m working on!
It is titled -
Montessori Inspired, Manipulative Rich, Literature Based, Hand’s On Preschool Curriculum for ages 2-5
by Jennifer Altman MEd/ECE
Each Month there will be several suggested books as well as many suggested activities. Since the curriculum is designed for ages 2-5, you will not do every activity each week. Just pick the ones that interest you and your child and are on your child’s level. The themes for each month tend to go together, so activities can carry over from week to week as well. Here is a sneak at one week for January -
(Click image to go to book website)
Other books: The Snow Day by Keatts, The Mitten by Brett Letter Recognition: Letter S Box/Tray – Fill with items that start with the letter S. Cooking: Make Snow Cones
Provide several pairs of gloves and/or mittens for your child to try on and match. Science: Freezing – fill a small plastic bag half full with water (or have your child do it) and put in the freezer to see what happens, after frozen remove it and observe the ice melt. You can even put toys or fruit in it before freezing and then try to get the objects out of it when frozen. Watch Sid the Science Kid MY ICE POP - http://www.pbs.org/teachers/includes/content/sid/change/frozenfruit.pdf
Hot or Cold File Folder Game Sensory - Sand & Water Table – Fill the water table (or a large basin) with snow (bring in from outdoors if you have some) or blocks of ice (freeze in a variety of sized containers) if snow is not available or fill a bin with InstaSnow Use mittens to stay warm. Provide Artic animals for play.
Put some plain shaving cream on the table to play in. (It’s great for cleaning the table too!)
Freeze colored water in ice cube trays and then paint on white paper with them Art: Paint with white paint on blue paper to make snowy pictures
Draw with white chalk on black paper
Make Snow Glitter Puffy Paint – Mix 1/2c Flour, 1/2c salt, 1/2c water and put in a squeeze bottle. Squeeze onto paper. It dries 3D and sparkles! You can paint over it after dry for another effect.
Use a Q-tip as a paint brush (dot paint) to make a wintery snow scene
Make snow globes with small jars (Stage 3 baby jars are perfect) use a small tree or other winter type object, add water and glitter then seal the lid with hot glue http://chestnutgroveacademy.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-activities.html#.UPtk_ydZWSo Fine Motor – Using coffee filters or white paper and scissors your child can cut out snowflakes
Look through magazines find and cut out pictures of things you would wear in cold weather. You could also look for pictures of things to wear in warm weather and sort them. Or use the Hot or Cold – What to Wear cards from Montessori Print Shop
Snow Dough – add rock salt to playdough for texture, or make frosty fluff snow with cornstarch and shaving cream
Courtesy of Keepin’ it Kool in Kinderland
Salt Tray Writing – Put some salt into a tray, or shoebox lid (or something else similar). Your child can practice writing with his/her finger or using a craft stick. Depending on their age and ability, use the Prewriting cards in the printable links below for them to copy the forms in the salt. So for younger kids, have them make lines (curved,straight, diagonal), when they master that move onto letters. When forming letters have them start at the TOP.
Using wagon wheel pasta or honeycomb cereal as snowflakes, count out the number of snowflakes as the number on the snowman card (use could also use cotton balls or white pompoms). For older children they can add the numbers. (see attached)
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