Littles Learning Link Up: Fun With Snowmen Literature and Craft Round Up

Welcome to Littles Learning Link Up. Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (usually toward the beginning of the month)
• A guest post featuring crafts, activities, tips, snack ideas or other early childhood topics. (usually toward the end of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my preschoolers and/or early elementary children (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child.

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

It's time for this month's Round Up

Recently I have been trying something different for my round up posts. I share a selection of books that focus on a specific topic (like Thanksgiving and Celebrating the Birth of Christ) and then I share a round up of "Favorite Book List" posts that other bloggers have compiled, plus craft/activity posts that went with those books. I decided to do the same again this month and may continue this through the new year.

This month I decided to compile some fun snowman books and crafts. I am also going to share the simple snowman craft we made at co-op last week.

As I did last month, after I share my book selections, I will share a list of posts that also compile Christmas books, then there will be some fun craft/activity posts that focus on books.  I hope you find some new books to share with your children this Christmas.

Fun With Snowmen Literature and Craft Round Up

Five Cute Snowman-Building Stories
(Any one of these books could go with the craft, or all of them)

All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle

According to this book, all you need is a single snowflake fluttering down. Well, except for all the other things you need. Like millions and billions more that are rolled into a big ball, plus more balls, and hats, and...well, you get the idea. The children end up building first one snowman, and then a friend in this cute book.

The First Day of Winter by Denise Fleming

This is a cumulative tale where each day of winter from day 1 through day 10 the snowman gets more and more items added by his best friend, starting with a red cap with a gold snap and ending with ten salty peanuts. Also included are items such as buttons, berries, pockets, and pinecones. It is told like the 12 Days of Christmas song.

Snow Day by Daniel Peddle

This book is a wordless story that tells the tale of a snowman being built and then what happens to him after the child goes home. I am not a huge fan of wordless books, because I can't figure out how to tell the story. However, I had my children tell the story, each one telling a page at a time. A cute story, with a sad ending.

Snow Surprise by Lisa Campbell Ernst

In this story Joan and her dog Sport are building a snowman surprise for her little brother Ben. They build the snowman using lots of different food items. When she goes in to fetch her brother to surprise him, all the animals come out and eat the food, destroying the snowman. Or so she thought. However, her brother looks at the ruined snowman from a different perspective, seeing a new surprise, a snow mouse. The back of the book has a page of thinking activities to go with the story.

Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick

This book is a "photographic fantasy" filled with wildlife photography that features lots of woodland animals encountering a snowman that is filled with yummy things to eat, a carrot for the deer, birdseed  and nuts in the hat for the birds, and corn buried in the snow. After the animals leave, we discover there were children watching, and the story ends with them replenishing the food on the snowman. In the back of the book is a "recipe for a snowman."

And here is the snowman we made:

I'm calling it the Cotton and Paint Snowman

We used cotton balls for the snowman. Then we painted the snow on the ground with cotton balls held by a clothespin. The falling snow was added with a q-tip. 

Here is what you will need:

1 piece of blue construction paper per child

1 snowman template (I cut it out of cardstock)

2 large wiggly eyes

1 inch length orange pipe cleaner

dry black beans

cotton balls

white glue

glue stick

white paint (I use acrylic)

clothespin

q-tips

The children start by gluing the snowman template onto the blue paper using a glue stick.

Then I squirted white glue all over the snowman.

The children covered the glue with cotton balls.

Then we added the facial features. It's easiest for an adult to put the glue where the child indicates when dealing with preschoolers. Older children could do that part independently. The eyes went on first, then we put the orange pipe cleaner on. I put the glue in between two of the cotton balls so it could stand up. Then we added as many black beans as the child wanted for the mouth.

I put white paint in an egg carton and showed the children how to "dab" the paint on with the cotton ball.

Then they did the same thing with the q-tip for the falling snow.

Aren't the cute?

More Snowman Crafts and Activities that Go With Books:

Louise from Messy Little Monster shared Puffy Paint Melted Snowman to go with the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Carolyn from Wise Owl Factory shared Roll a Snowman Printable Activity to go with the book When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan.

Stef from Non-Toy Gifts shared Play Dough Snowman Kit for Kids to go with the book The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

Heather from Preschool Toolkit shared Snowman Painting Activity with Christmas Countdown Book to go with the book Snowbear's Christmas Countdown by Theresa Smythe.

Julie from Emma Owl shared Sparkly Puffy Paint Snowman to go with the book The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.

Amanda from Artsy Momma shared Creative Snowmen at Night Art Project to go with the book Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner.

Sheryl from Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds shared Creative Snowman Art for Preschoolers to go with the book Snowballs by Louis Ehlert.

Christa from Little Log Cottage School shared Do You Want to Build a Snowman? to go with the book The Biggest Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler

And here are some Favorite Snowman Book compilation posts.

Jennifer from A Dab of Glue Will Do shared 12 Snowman Books for Little Learners.

Jennifer from The Jenny Evolution shared Snowman Books For Children. 

Anne from Learning Table shared What to Read and Do On a Snowy Day.

What are your favorite Snowman books that you read to your children?

I am lining up guest posts for the new year. If you would be interested writing a guest post for Littles Learning Link Up one of these months, please leave a comment or contact me via my contact info on my About Me page. I will need to have your email address so I can contact you. I am looking for posts that have to do with young children: crafts, activities, foods/snacks, tips, or other ideas. I am open to suggestions.

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 19 wonderful posts linked up. I will be picking one randomly selected post to share, plus the top clicked-on post.  

Don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's randomly selected post is:

Tara from Embark on the Journey shared 100 Winter Activities for Kids.

And here is this week's top clicked on post.

Katelynne from Disguised as a Supermom shared Very Last First Time - Five in a Row Preschool & Kindergarten.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on my Toddler Ideas or other relevant board, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time, if applicable. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Sunday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

I would love if you could share my button. 

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An InLinkz Link-up