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Wonderful Winter Hands-On Experiences for All Ages

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Gee Whiz Developmental Areas &

Learning Indicators

Language Development

(LD1, LD2, LD3, LD4)

Literacy Knowledge

(LK1, LK2, LK3, LK4, LK5)

Math Knowledge

(MK1, MK2, MK3, MK4, MK5, MK6)

Science Knowledge (SK1, SK2, SK3)

☺ Approaches to Learning

(AL1, AL2, AL3)

? Logic & Reasoning

(LR1, LR2)

Social Studies Knowledge

(SS1, SS2, SS3, SS4)

and Creative Arts & Music

(CA1, CA2, CA3, CA4)

Social & Emotional Development

(SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4)

Physical Development & Health

(PD1, PD2, PD3, PD4, PD5)

Welcome to Gee Whiz Education

At Gee Whiz, we are excited that you have chosen to download our complimentary, “We Love Apples!” activity booklet. The experiences you find in this booklet are very similar to the ones we include in our curriculum which is specifically designed for family child care providers.

Below you will see a box that contains the developmental areas the experiences included in this booklet address and the associated picture codes. When you read the activity plans, just look for these codes. They will tell you what developmental areas you are addressing as you do each experience. This makes documentation super easy and enables you to make sure you are addressing all developmental areas for all developmental levels on a consistent basis. Please see our User’s Guide for more information on the 10 developmental areas and the 40 Gee Whiz Learning Indicators.

Following this page, you will find hands-on experiences for ALL ages in your group! Items in red may need a little more time to prep or gather. We hope you find them super easy to follow and a lot of fun! Please, feel free to reach out to us at customerservice@geewhizeducation.com if you have any questions. We are excited to have you try our experiences and hope you will also look into our curriculum. You can find out more at www.geewhizeducation.com.

This symbol

indicates the

experience

addresses character

education.

Get Moving!

This symbol indicates

the experience helps

children build gross

motor skills.

This symbol

indicates the

experience can, or

should, be done

outdoors.

© 2021 Gee Whiz Education, LLC 3 www.geewhizeducation.com

Wonderful Winter

Enjoy the following activities with your children!

Exploring Together: Build a Snow Person (all ages, ☺) Questions to Spur Thinking

• What happens to your snow person if you put the small box on the bottom?

• What features should our snow person have on his/her face?

• What other materials do you need to complete the snow person?

Questions to Spur Thinking

• What should our friend where if he/she is going to a place where it is very cold?

• What do you wear when it is cold?

•Why is it important to dress properly when it is cold?

(repeat this series of questions replacing “cold” with “hot”)

Materials: Small, medium and large sized boxes wrapped in white

paper (NOTE: If you have snow in your area, use that instead and do this activity outside)

Assorted art/collage materials, gluesticks, child-safe scissors, etc.

• A snow person (man or woman) is something that many of us associate with winter. This activity challenges children to utilize their background knowledge about how a snow person is constructed to make and test predictions.

• Show children the boxes and other materials. Invite them to stack the boxes to make them look like a snow person. As they do so, note how they make choices about which size of box goes first, next and last. When finished, does their stack of boxes look like a snow person?

• Next, challenge the children to predict what they believe will happen if they stack the boxes in a different order. Encourage those who are more verbal to share their ideas and then test them. What happens? Invite them to experience with different ways to see the results.

• Then, have them stack the boxes again from biggest to smallest. Invite them to use art/collage materials to make the small box look like a snow person’s head. What other materials do they need? Invite them to find them. What about arms? Challenge children to find materials they could use to make arms. When finished, invite the children to name their snow person.

(all ages, ☺)

Materials: Large plush animal or doll

Baby clothes...for both hot and cold weather (e.g., hat, coat, mittens, shorts, t-shirt, summer romper)

• Choosing appropriate clothing for cold weather is a self-help skill. This experience invites children to practice in a way that is fun and hands-on. During this experience, the children will also practice problem-solving skills and develop fine motor control.

• Show children the large plush animal or doll. Introduce the animal or doll to the children using a name you give it. Invite children to talk to the animal/doll through you, asking questions or sharing information.

• Show children the assortment of baby clothes. Explain that their new friend is planning to go on vacation to a place where it is very cold and snowy. Can children help choose the correct clothing their new friend should wear to go to a place that is very cold?

• Children choose clothing and then help you put it on their new friend. As they do so, encourage Advanced Preschoolers to help with buttons, snaps and/or zippers. Engage children in conversations as they dress their new friend about the types of clothing they wear when it is cold outside.

• EXTENSION: Be sure to help children who are developmentally ready practice buttoning, zippering and snapping whenever they are putting on their coats/jackets. The only way they will learn these skills is through practice!

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2 Small Group Activities (Toddlers - 4 Year Olds)

Icebergs Ahoy! (Toddler-4 years, )

Materials: Large ice chunks - To make, fill bowls (or other

containers) with water and freeze Water table or large shallow tub of water Plastic polar animals and people figures (if

available) Toy boats

• This experience invites children to make observations as they show what they know through play. IF you need to establish background knowledge about icebergs, use books or the internet. Here is a short video you might want to share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YChOVuC42kM

• Use warm water to loosen the ice from the containers as you remove them from the freezer. Fill the water table or container with warm water and add the ice. As children show interest, they might choose to pretend that the large chunks of ice are icebergs. As you engage with the children, challenge those who are more verbal to share what they know about icebergs.

• Add the people figures, plastic polar animals (if available) and toy boats. Invite the children to use these materials as they play. Engage them in conversations as you observe to help you evaluate what they do, or do not know, about icebergs and polar animals.

• Advanced Preschoolers: These children can be challenged to describe the changes that occur to the icebergs as they move in the warm water. In addition, they can describe whether the icebergs float or sink.

Questions to Spur Thinking

• What is an iceberg?

• Where might you see an iceberg?

• Why do you think icebergs form?

_________________________________________

• How would you move if you were a snowflake?

• Where have you seen snowflakes falling?

• Where should we put our snowflakes next?

Wonderful Winter

Put the Snowflake…. (Toddlers–4 years, )

Materials: Paper snowflake for each child (precut)

• Acting out this song is a fun way for you to review body parts and positional concepts.

• To begin, have children pretend to be snowflakes softly falling as they move freely around the room.

• Next, give each child a paper snowflake to hold and introduce the game, “Put the Snowflake…” To play the game, sing the following song, changing the body part(s) and position each time you sing.

PUT THE SNOWFLAKE…

(tune: “The Wheels on the Bus)

Put the snowflake on your ear, On your ear, on your ear. Put the snowflake on your ear, Come on...show me now. Put the snowflake beside your nose... Put the snowflake behind your foot...

• Advanced Preschoolers: These children might be able to cut their own paper snowflakes. In addition, they can take turns “singing” directions for other children to follow.

Get Moving!

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1 Infant Activity + 1 Small Group (Toddlers - 4 Year Olds)

Questions to Spur Thinking

• What do you think you are going to see when you lift the doilies?

• Were your predictions correct?

• What other materials could you use to make snowflakes?

Wonderful Winter

Snowy Pictures (Toddlers–4 years, ☺)

Materials: Large sheet of white paper

Paper doilies + thinned blue paint in a spray bottles

Baking tray with edges

• Making art related to snow opens the door for you to talk with children about this type of precipitation. This hands-on experience also invites more verbal children to make and test predictions. It also opens the door for you to reinforce the colors blue and white in a meaningful way.

• Set out the materials listed above. Because different developmental levels will approach this experience differently, we are providing adaptations.

• Toddlers/Twos/Young Threes: Give each child a large sheet of white paper and several doilies. Have the child place the doilies on the paper. Then, invite the children to help you squeeze the handle on the spray bottle filled with thinned paint so that most of the paper is covered. Talk about your actions, the paint and the results.

• Fours/Advanced Preschoolers: These children should be able to use the spray bottles independently. They can also experiment with different types of materials placed on top of the white paper to create designs. Do any of the materials create designs that look like snowflakes?

Putting On Your Coat (Infants, ☺)

Materials: Infant’s coat or jacket

• Singing to infants is a great way to promote language development and listening skills. It also opens the door for you to help the infant build receptive language skills.

• Sing the following song each time you put on or take off the infant’s coat or jacket.

LET’S PUT ON YOUR COAT

(tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”)

Let’s put on your coat, Let’s put on your coat, Let’s put it on and zip it up; Let’s put on your coat. Let’s take off your coat, Let’s take off your coat. Let’s unzip now and slide it off. Let’s take off your coat.

Extend the song by singing about other clothing you put on and off (e.g., hat, boots, mittens…).

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1 School-Age Activity + 1 Infant Activity

Questions to Spur Thinking

• What does the ice cube do when it is in the water?

• How could you use a length of string to lift the ice cube out of the water?

• What happened when you sprinkled salt on the ice cube?

• What do you think would happen if you tried to use sugar in place of salt?

Wonderful Winter

Brrr! Sensory Bottles (Infants, ☺ )

Materials: Clear, plastic water bottles filled with any (or

all) of the following: cold water and glitter, ice cubes, snow. Screw on the lids tightly and wrap with tape.

• Infants use their sense of touch to learn about their world. Sensory bottles are a fun, safe way for them to explore.

• Hold the infant in your lap. Place the sensory bottles on the floor in front of you. Pick up one of the bottles and move it. Talk about what you see and hear. Invite the infant to touch the bottle. Describe how the bottle feels and what is inside.

• Continue exploring the sensory bottles with the infant for as long as he/she shows interest. This is an excellent way for you to expand the infant’s receptive language base.

Ice Experiment ( ☺)

Materials: Ice cubes, plastic cups, cold water salt, string

• This simple experiment invite children to explore scientific concepts like trial and error as well as cause and effect. Provide each child with a plastic cup. Have children fill their cups approximately 3/4 full with cold water. Each child can put an ice cube in their cup and watch what happens. Encourage children to describe what they see.

• Next, give each child a length of string. Challenge them to use the string to lift the ice cube out of the water without using their hands. Can they do it? Probably not! Using your own ice cube and cup, place the end of the string on top of the ice cube. Sprinkle salt over the string and wait about 10-15 seconds (have the children count). Now...lift the ice cube. Voila!

• Why does this work? The salt causes the ice to melt. The water created by the melting ice then refreezes to the string, allowing the ice cube to be lifted by the string.

EXTEND FOR ANOTHER DAY: Conduct the same experiment but have children suggest different substances to put on the ice. Do any work like the salt to lift the ice cube?

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Using the Gee Whiz curriculum can

make being a family child care provider

a lot easier! We are fully aligned with

state & national ECE standards AND

approved in many states. Plus, our

lesson plans are specifically written for

mixed-age groups!

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