Brrrrrr!

Hope everyone is staying warm and healthy during our cold January. If the temperature ever gets warm enough for taking children outside to experience all this snow, try taking along small containers of water, colored with food coloring, and eye droppers to make beautiful pictures in the snow. An idea tried in several classrooms is to bring the snow inside in plastic trays or tubs. One classroom filled their sensory/sand table with snow. Children can create snow people and snow creatures. Hide small plastic animals under the snow for the children to find. Add small shovels and pails or plastic butter tubs and children can dig and mold shapes. Remember that children's hands may get cold pretty fast. Invite them to put on their mittens while they continue to play. The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats is a wonderful book to read this time of year.

Jodie Grinstead and Amy Fullerton (Union Elementary Shining Stars Preschool Program) and their children are studying Chocolate. Yum! They are planning a trip to a local candy shop to make their own fudge. Back in the classroom, they will recap the experience and draw pictures about the trip. They read a poem about M and M's and used the dot or dabber paints to make M and M pictures and stories. The children painted large paper plates their favorite M and M color and hung them from the classroom ceiling. An M and M flannel board story called Six Colorful M and Ms was also told. Jodie and Amy said it was great seeing the kids act out the story during free time. The teachers also made their own math manipulatives: a folder chocolate chip game and paper plates with numbers for patterning and sorting M&Ms, chocolate chips, and cookie crisp cereal.
 

Mary Pat Larocca

6 colorful M&M's in a bag of brown. 

All very sad and wearing frowns! 

They knew they were a yummy treat, 

And that someone soon would eat, eat, eat! 

Red M&M said, "I've decided not to stick around!" 

And he left town without a sound! 

Yellow M&M was getting rather concerned! 

She did a cartwheel and turned, turned, turned! 

Green M&M said, "I think I see a human hand!" 

"I'm not staying...I'm going to Ireland!" 

Brown M&M who was rather shy, 

Decided to go up high and fly, fly, fly! 

Orange M&M was feeling sad and lonely, 

And said, "So long Blue, you are now the only!" 

Blue was cool and no fool, 

He jumped up and dove into a great big pool! 

6 colorful M&M's had frowns for a while, 

But...now they're all happy and have a smile!

• equal parts cinnamon and applesauce 
• 2 tbsp Elmer's glue 
• Combine all ingredients and roll out onto floured cutting board. Use a bear or gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out ornaments. Poke a hole in the top of the bear or gingerbread man with a toothpick. Let dry for a few days. When dry thread a ribbon or yarn through the hole and hang on the tree.