Does it snow where you live? This is the first year I’ve lived in Vancouver where it has legitimately snowed multiple times, leaving the ground covered in centimeters of the white stuff. I took a walk around my neighbhourhood a few weeks ago and was greeted by many snow people, this one being my favourite.
Since I knew many of my storytime kids were experiencing their first snowy winters here, I decided to read Snowballs by Lois Ehlert in storytime. I love this book – it’s just right for a mix of toddlers and preschoolers. I’m always delighted by Ehlert’s found object art and playful language. My Flannel Friday submission this week is what I made to accompany Ehlert’s book.
First I found this snowmen rhyme on Sunflower Storytime. When I presented it in storytime I asked the kids who these snow people might be. Most of them said, “snow dads!” but you could also have snow moms, snow boys, snow girls, snow babies, or a snow granny or grandpa. Whatever the kids say, that’s what we sing. Here’s how I adapted the rhyme:
Five little snow _____ all in a row
Each with a hat
And made of snow.
Out came the sun
And it stayed all day
And one of those snow _____ melted away.
(Count down to zero)
As with all my felt stories and songs, these snow people aren’t perfect and they’re definitely not complex. But they were super easy to free hand – just cut out the shapes you want and hot glue them together. We talked about the different coloured hats after we sang the rhyme. I imagine you could add lots of little details to the snow people to boost the talking potential.
Thank you Kathryn at Fun with Friends at Storytime for hosting Flannel Friday this week. Make sure to check out her blog for lots of other felt story inspiration!