The Wonders of Winter

The Purple Room explored the wonders of winter with their class through engaging read-alouds and a variety of hands-on experiences. They began their unit by reading Step into Winter: A New Season, by Jane Belk Moncure and How Do You Know It’s Winter? by Allan Fowler. These books were used as a way to introduce the children to the changes that occur during the winter months. 

We check the weather as a class each day before we go outside for recess. This helps the children to understand why they need to wear their winter gear when we head out to play. To help build upon this understanding, we read the big book version of It Could Still Be Water by Allan Fowler. This book explores the various forms water can take on, such as ice and snow.

After enjoying the story Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner the children created their own snowman collages and used their imaginations to decide what their snowmen like to do while everyone else is sleeping!

Here are some of the ideas the children shared:
“Going to the park”
“Sleeping and running to the plane”
“Swinging on a swing”
“Reading a book”

We also read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle. With its rhythmic text and familiar repetition, this story quickly became a class favorite. Many of the children have learned to “read” it on their own and especially enjoy retelling the story using animal cutouts on our felt board, which provides a fun and interactive way to visualize the characters.

Another beloved winter story has been The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. We incorporated this classic tale into our yoga classes by acting out Peter’s winter adventures through movement. The children pretended to sled down snowy hills in chair pose and made snow angels on their yoga mats as they settled into relaxation. We ended each yoga class by listening to the story together as part of our calm and peaceful savasana (final resting pose).

To conclude our winter unit, we read Winter Trees by Carole Gerber. Inspired by the illustrations, the children were invited to create their own winter tree artwork, using cotton balls to represent freshly fallen snow. It was a wonderful way to celebrate all we had learned about the season!

Winter Themed Books:
How Do You Know It’s Winter by Allan Fowler
It Could Still Be Water by Allan Fowler
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Step into Winter:A New Season by Jane Belk Moncure
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Winter Trees by Carole Gerber