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March 2-5;10-12
March 2-5;10-12
Creating our own Snowmen
Creating our own Snowmen
Building off the creation of our winter scene earlier in the winter, the children used clay and various art materials to create their own unique snowman. We decided to use clay to introduce a new medium for the children to manipulate. It is harder to move and mold than the playdough that they are used to, so it introduced a new level of motor work. Clay develops both the large and small muscles and helps with the development of dexterity. The pinching, patting, kneading and rolling all help to build up the muscles and fine motor coordination they will need for holding a pencil and writing. The children immediately noticed that it was "like our dough but feels different," which was a great observation.
As the children looked through their books, they described what they noticed on the snowmen. We documented their ideas on a "WE SEE" web and then read them back.
In order to create a snowman, the children were tasked with creating balls with the clay. This movement of rolling the dough on the table and in their hands is great motor work. They then "built" their snowman in any way that they wished. The stacking of the balls required hand-eye coordination and balance.
We then decided that we needed art materials to make body parts and accessories for our snowmen. The art materials were specifically chosen to promote fine motor practice - there were flat, round, thin and thick materials. They also had to be placed in the clay in a way that would make them stick and stay as the clay was maneuvered and eventually dried. As the children worked, we asked them to tell us about the materials they were using. They described the color, size and placement of each piece. This led to the second part of our experience...
Tell me about your Snowman
Tell me about your Snowman
The next step in creating our snowmen was to talk about them. During the art experience, the children went beyond the explanation of their materials to share more specific characteristics. We read the book Snowmen at Night and discussed the different "adventures" that the snowmen went on in the book. Then we closed our eyes and thought about our own snowmen and what adventures they could go on. Once we had some time to think, we went to the table and documented our ideas. The children told us the word or phrase that described their snowman's adventures, we wrote their exact words in highlighter, they traced the words and then we read the words out loud.
SWINGING
SNOWBALL FIGHT
SWINGING ON THE SWINGS
DRIVE A CAR
PICKLEBALL
PLAYGROUND
A SWINGING ADVENTURE
SLEDDING
GO TO THE PLAYGROUND
PLAYGROUND
SLIDE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
SLEDDING
SNOWBALLS ON THE MOUNTAIN
ON A SNOWMAN HUNT
We decided to pull them aside one at a time to expand on these ideas, thereby creating an engaging literacy experience. The children used their oral language to describe their snowman and tell us about them. They created experiences for their snowman and described them in great detail. Their descriptions and stories were all different lengths based on the message they wanted to communicate about their snowmen. Each one was thoughtful and very specific, and we had so much fun listening to them tell us their stories!
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Olaf.”
“The snowman play in the park. The snowman slide down the park. He was running down the hill. The slide down to the hill. And he fell down. He wants to play. He jumped to the muddy puddle. And he wants to drink chocolate milk.”
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Rose.”
“Rose went on a hunt to go see some flowers and he saw some puppies and he saw some pumpkins and some puppies barked at him. And then the snowman went home because the puppy barked at him.”
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Nobody.”
Play. Go sledding. Go to playground. Go home and have hot chocolate. She go back outside. She go sledding again. She went inside again. Get hot chocolate again. She goed back outside to go sledding again. Back inside again. She watched TV.
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named…Rosie the Girl Snowman.
And she was going to she was going to the park but she needed to drive a car. And then she jumped out of the car and she was at the park. And then there was a long path to walk through the park. And then she was at the park. She played on the swing. And then she tripped on the slide she tripped on the ladder to climb the slide. And then she just she climbed down the ladder. And then she went back to the snowman home. And then she went to sleep and snoozin’! He dreamed that he was playing pickleball.
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Lucas.”
“My snowman wanted to throw snowballs down the mountain. He made some more snowballs on top of the mountain so he could throw more down. Then when he made all his snowballs he put it in the pile and started grabbing one by one and throwing them down the mountain. And when he finally all the snowballs crashed down the mountain he sledded down.”
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Sparkly Flashy.”
“So he’s going to sleep in my floor in my house in a blanket and pillow. And he’s going to play soccerball with me and he’s going to be tired. Sparkly Flashy likes to eat food with my dad and go to dinner. And I comed in my mom and my dad and my snowman Sparkly Flashy and me. Her name is Snowy Flashy. And she has a pink outfit. She wants to do is play in my room and sleep in my room and cuddle with me and put her clothes on with me.”
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Rainbow Sparkle.”
“Rainbow Sparkle went on the airplane. It went to California. And it went to the playground. Then he had a nap. I think he went to a house. And then she did a snowball fight. And then she went into her house. And then she met a girl which is one of her friends. And then she met a boy in her house. And then she went to New York City. And then she went on a train.”
The End.
Once upon a time there was a snowman named “Sally.”
Sally needs friends. Like my kids. You know I have some baby chicks. Sally go on adventure. He wants friends. Sally go on adventure with. Sally want go on adventure on a walk on a floor. Sally wanna go on adventure. Q! (points to Q on keyboard) Sally adventure wanna walk on a floor again. Walk on a carpet too. I done.
The End.
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