This year our weather on the east coast has been anything but typical.
We had many sunny and warm days in January and a heavy frost in mid-May. In
parts of New York they received close to three feet of snow on Memorial Day. As
Memorial Day is now known as the unofficial beginning of summer, I guess you
can say that Sometimes Snow does Fall in the Summer. Yesterday the temps
were in the 90s and the humidity turned the air into thick steamy soup.
What a difference a week makes.
However, whether you are experiencing the real snow- fluffy, frosty,
and fun, or creating a snowstorm of your own—soft, squishy, or solid, the
activity posted today will encourage your little ones to ponder the delights of
physical characteristics. Below you will find the second activity from the Sizzling Summer Snow Day.
Activity 2—Snowball
Sort and Snow Wall Fort
This activity is an extension of the preceding marshmallow sorting
activity. It provides a terrific opportunity to explore texture, density, and
other physical attributes of common objects found in the home.
Ages: 3-6, with modification
Time to complete: 15-20 minutes
Materials: For this activity, gather various sized and textured
round objects in your home that are white or mainly white. Suggestions
include—play balls, cotton balls, foam balls, bath scrubbers, rolled socks,
home décor, etc. Use your imagination and let your little ones help find the
objects with you. You will also need a container that is large enough to hold
your collection of ‘snow balls’ and sorting containers. Optional: Flash cards with physical attributes written on them.
Instructions:
1. Gather the objects to sort.
This is a great opportunity to reinforce the concept of roundness with the
children.
2. Place those objects (the
‘snowballs’) into a container.
3. Ask a child to randomly pull
one of the snow balls out of the container.
Ask: Is this snowball hard or soft? Squishy or firm? Heavy or light? Etc.
Can you find another snowball that is similar? (Select an attribute for them)?
4. Ask another child to pull
out a snowball that is different from the first one. For example, if the first
snowball is hard, the second snowball could be soft.
5. Sort the remaining snowballs
by the two chosen attributes.
6. Count how many of each type
of snowball there is in each pile.
Follow-up
Frosty Fort Fun
After
completing the snowball sort, play a game of topple the snow fort. This
activity reinforces fine motor and gross motor skills as well as teaches
children about balance and gravity.
Instructions:
1. Stack 10 foam cups, as
shown.
2. Take turns tossing the
snowballs from the first part of this activity to knock down the cups.
Ask: Which snowball was the best
for knocking down the cups? Why do you think it was the best choice?
Are you ready for a snowball fight, summer style?
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