1. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
One of my favorite winter season books to read with students,Tacky the Penguin brings a laugh to children of all ages as Tacky toys to fit in with the other penguins but continues to struggle. Tacky is a great story about accepting differences and respecting one another for our unique traits and being true to yourself. Tacky is a great story for children preschool through 3rd grade to enjoy. If you love reading this story, check out all of the sequel Tacky the Penguin books to continue to read about his adventures.
Activity: Tacky is a great book for sequencing using a first, next, then, activity. Grab my freebie of this activity by clicking here or get the penguin sequencing and retelling craft-ivity by clicking here. Another great activity to do at home is to do research on penguins and learn about penguins. See the website below that are great resources for finding out more about penguins!
2. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
A classic winter story about the first snowfall and the joys of playing, sledding and exploring the new fallen snow in Peter's neighborhood. This winter classic is great to cozy up with on a cold winters day to read with children 2 to 5 years old, or for children at heart.
Activity: A great deal of fun is not only to play in the real snow if you have that opportunity depending on where you live but also making your own snow. This is a fun activity I've done with my class before so that we could play with snow, even when we didn't have snow on the ground. Kids love not only the aspect of playing in the snow but now making it. So here is the directions to make some snow at home or in your classroom for a fun activity to follow reading a snowy day.
All of the supplies can be bought at the dollar store or your local grocery store or maybe even be found just sitting in your pantry. You need 3 cups of baking soda and 1/2 cup of conditioner. Mix the two together in a container and wha-la you have some snow to play with!
3. The Mitten by Jan Brett
When a boy drops his glove in the middle of the woods, one by one woodlands animals find their way into his mitten. Read this wonderful story to see what happens to the mitten and enjoy the beautiful illustrations. This book is great for children ages 1 through 6 years old.
Activity: A great activity for preschool and kindergarten children is a sensory bin. Sensory bins provide sensory input and output for students while working on fine motor skills and creative play. For a follow up activity of The Mittens a sensory bin is a great deal of fun that can children can spend hours playing and creating in. Click here to see the directions and supply list to create this awesome sensory bin for children. The only thing I changed in my sensory bin was I didn't print the paper animals, I went to our local craft store and got woodlands plastic animals for more durability when played with.
4. The Giving Snowman by Julia Zheng
Snowman lends a helping hand on a snowy night to some animal and human friends. The next day the sun comes out and the snowman begins to melt, however his friends from the night before come and lend a helping hand to rebuild the snowman. This story is filled with lessons and themes in gratitude and kindness. A great story for children 3 through 8 years old.
Activity: Who doesn't want a fun science experiment? A great science experiment following reading the giving snow man is the snowman melting experiment. This experiment involves building a snow man with your child and then working together to use some ingredients to melt it and figure out how and why it melts. Follow the link here to enjoy this fun activity. Click here!
5. Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper
A girl wakes up to the quiet snow. She walks to her grandmothers and learns how to listen deeply, fully, and in ways that otherwise she may not have noticed. She notices snowmen, sidewalks covered in ice, and the beauty of snow. The illustrations beautifully captive this story for children 4 through 9 years old.
Activity: A great way to follow up Ten ways to Hear Snow is to go out in nature and do a 5 senses activity. I love using a graphic organizer to help students to write down what they notice using all 5 senses. Have children go outside, snow or no snow and listen, look, smell, and touch the world around them. This can be further used for a detailed writing activity or it can be an exercise in mindfulness and being present in the nature surrounding children. Grab your freebie 5 senses graphic organizer by clicking here.
6. Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor
An introduction to the concept of hibernation, this story starts with with a child and grandma walking through the woods noticing they do not see any animals. The child wonders if the animals have gone to sleep as they walk through the snow covered sleeping forrest. Learn about the hibernation habits of animals while you cozy up and read this book for children 5 through 8 years old.
Activity: What is a better way to follow up a hibernation story than building your own bear den? Click the link here from education.com to see how you can build your own bear den.
7. Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright
Sneezy the snowman is cold! He just wants to get warm so he can stop sneezing. He tries drinking hot chocolate, getting in a hot tub, and standing near a fire but you guessed it, he melted. The children help him by re-building him each time he melts so he feels just right. Read this fun snowy story with children ages 3 to 7 years old.
Activity: A fun creative activity for Sneezy the Snowman is a fun puffy paint snowman and writing activity! Read more about this great activity from The Primary Pack. Click here.
Another great activity for Sneezy is retelling and event sequencing. Grab fun retelling popsicle stick toppers and retelling cut and pastes, and a fun Sneezy Melting writing activity over in my TpT store by clicking here.
8. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
A biographical picture book with direct quotes from Martin Luther King Jr and his civil rights work. The caldecott medal winner has beautiful watercolor and brilliant patterned illustrations to accompany the account of Dr. King's life. This is a great book to read with children during the Martin Luther King holiday, or anytime to teach children about the civil rights leader and his work. This book is a great read for children 5-9 years old and can be a great resource for parents when discussing racism.
Activity: First and foremost this is a great opportunity to talk with your children, answer questions and explore the civil rights movement and racism in America and the world. Spend time listening with to your child, explaining, and if you don't feel you have an answer, tell them that, it's okay not to know but be sure to spend time learning and exploring yourself.
One of the ways we can keep Dr. King's memory alive and live out his dream is by performing acts of service within our communities and bridging divides within our community that are often formed by misunderstandings and prejudices. Find an organization in your community that you can learn more about or help with their mission to serve in your community.
Another activity that I have loved doing with my students is Egg Diversity, this not only touches on race but any differences students may see between one another and a great way to discuss how all of us are different and that is okay. Check out the full activity on kidsactivtiy.com click here.
These are just a few of my favorite read aloud for the month, there are so many more to share. I hope you enjoy reading with your children/students and find some fun follow up activities here on the blog. Happy January!
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