Marshmallow Print Snowmen Craft – Snowman Features 2
Materials needed: White tempera paint, large marshmallows, paint trays or paper plates, Snowman Features (linked above), paint smocks or old T-shirts, scissors, and markers/crayons for letters or numbers (use dry erase markers if laminating the snowmen.)
Let the children practice making circles with the marshmallows after dipping in the white paint. Tell the children they can make snowmen by making the marshmallow circle prints on top (demonstrate the positional word for younger childen) of one another. The children can write any letters/numbers they are learning on the hats from the file above. Have the older children practice writing lowercase letters or larger numbers. The younger children can practice on uppercase letters only or the numbers 1-9. When the snowmen prints are dry, the children can use markers/crayons to make facial features or they can use the snowmen features from the file linked above. Have the children cut out the snowmen prints and find a peer’s snowman with the same letter or number. For mixed ages: Older children can practice matching their lowercase lettered snowmen to a younger child’s uppercase one.
Extension #1: Use the snowman hats for color recognition or for use with any shapes the children are working on.
Extension #2: Use the snowmen to make sight words or word families. When the snowmen prints are dry, laminate them for durability (clear contact paper will work, too.) Have the children use dry erase markers to make sight words or word families.
Snowman Cup Bowling
Materials needed: Large Clear Plastic Cups, Cotton Balls, Duct Tape, Snowman Features 2 Printable (linked above), Old Sock for the Snowman Hat (or cut on from the file above), and glue sticks.
Have the younger children “stuff” both plastic cups with cotton balls. The older children can cut out the facial features from the printable file (the children may need assistance with hole punching skills for the eyes/mouth.) *The children can also use markers to draw facial features on the cups. Invert one of the cups carefully and seal the two together with duct tape (adult). The children can use an old sock as the snowman’s hat or cut one out from the file above. Make several cups for the children to use as “bowling” pins.
Literacy/Math Extension: With a dry erase marker, label each of the cups with different letters or numbers the children are learning. In the photo above, we had the children roll dice or draw a index card from a shoe box. The children then had to roll the ball and try to knock down the “snowman” pin with the corresponding letter or number. Younger children who do not have letter/number recognition skills yet, can simply bowl or ask a peer/older child for assistance. We had a bowling ball from a commercial bowling set, but any small plastic ball can be used. Our kids loved to make the snowmen cups and ask everyday if they can bowl for snowmen!
For more Snowmen or Winter Literacy and Math ideas for classroom or home use, see the Winter Thematic Unit at The Preschool Toolbox Blog!
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