The snow came early this month! After a November snowfall the toddlers were more than eager to explore the snow. They started off by touching it with their hands and picking it up off the ground outside. Many of them noticed the temperature difference, and Georgia was quick to say, “it’s cold”. An educator made snow balls for the toddlers, and they watched gravity at work as they dropped the snow balls on the ground and watched them break apart.
Inside the fun continued with the snow. The tuft tray was filled up with snow and some blue food colouring was added in too. The toddlers were given playdough toys to help shape and build with the snow. The toddlers first order of business was to mix the colour into the snow. They grabbed the playdough cutters and used their fine motor skills to chop up the snow till the blue colour was all mixed in. Their next step in their play seemed to be to make the snow into shapes. Many of the toddlers used the playdough toys to make shapes in the snow. Others mimicked what they had seen outside and tried to make snow balls. To extend their play further, a few of the toddlers grabbed bowls and cups from the dramatic play area. Using these materials, the toddlers turned the snow into a pretend meal that could be shared among friends.
Later in the month the toddlers got the opportunity to play with the snow indoors again. We once again filled up the tuft tray with snow. This time different colour paint was added onto the snow and the toddlers were each given a paint brush to paint with. The toddlers were quick to learn that painting on snow was different than painting on paper. They learned fast that they had to use more force to paint on the snow, and that the paint spread differently. It was interesting to see how the children both brushed the snow to paint and how they poked it with the paintbrush handles to move the colour around.
Overall, the children got a great introduction to the snow this season. They got to have fun, explore sensory properties of snow, and learned how the snow can be a great canvas for creativity. We can't wait for more fun in the snow as the winter season quickly approaches.
