The Mitten by Jan Brett

Gathering Activity:  Color Masks and Finger Puppets

The children colored these great masks and these cute finger puppets that we used later in the day during circle time and game time.  Jan Brett offers them for free on her website.   


Circle Time:  The Mitten by Jan Brett

The Mitten is a story of a lost mitten on a snowy day.  Animals in the woods, one by one,  find the mitten and seek shelter inside.  They all squeeze inside (including a bear), until the smallest animal squeezes in and causes it to finally it to "explode."  It is a wonderful read aloud for preschoolers with so many great teaching opportunities.  As we read,  we predicted which animal would some next, compared sizes of animals, and learned the names of some unfamiliar animals. 

After the story we retold the story.  We used a white mitten and the small animals we colored during gathering activity. I found this cute  Mitten Song.  I handed each child one of the animals.  As we sang the song they brought their animals up, one by one, to stuff inside the mitten.  At the end we threw the mitten up in the air.  Of course there were lots of giggles! 


Mitten Song
Sung to: The Farmer in the Dell
The mitten in the snow
The mitten in the snow
Help us please so we won't freeze!
The mitten in the snow.
The mole squeezes in
The mole squeezes in
Help us please so we won't freeze
The mole squeezes in!
Continue verses with each animal in the order they entered The Mitten in the story.
The bear sneezed us out
The bear sneezed us out
Oh no, now we might freeze
The bear sneezed us out!

Snack Time: Glove or Mitten Toast

1-Cut out bread with a cookie cutter in the shape of a glove or mitten.

2-Mix drops of food coloring into a small container of milk.

3-Allow the children to paint the colored milk on their bread.

4-Add sprinkles.

5-Toast in the toaster oven.

6-Enjoy!

We also ate cheese cubes and bananas with our snack.

Art: Torn Paper Mittens

Materials Needed: Construction paper, glue, scissors

Directions:
1-Before class, cut out LARGE mitten shapes out of posterboard or card stock.  One per child.
2-During class: Moms and children tear colored construction paper into small pieces. 
3-Spread glue onto paper evenly.

 4-Cover with small pieces of construction paper to create your own design.

 Games: 

1-The Bear Squeezes In

Materials Needed: A large blanket and the masks we colored in the gathering activity.  

Directions: The children and moms hold the corners of the blanket as we sing the song "The Bear Squeezes In" (found above).  The child with the corresponding mask climbs under the blanket until each child is under the blanket.  Then we create a tent over them and sneeze and bring it up into the air.  I lost count how many times we played this one.

 

2-The Mitten Match

Materials Needed: Variety of Mittens and Gloves

Directions: Place all of the mittens and gloves in the center of the circle and allow the children to find matches.  Compare and contrast the mittens with the children as you look for matches. 

3-Mitten Discovery 

Materials Needed: A large mitten and several small objects to place inside (We used Cheerio cereal pieces, money, a small car, a pretzel, a ball)

Directions:  Place a small object inside the mitten.  Allow the children to take turns placing their hands inside and guessing what is in the mitten. 

Stranger in the Woods

Gathering Activity: 
Newspaper Snowball Fight and Snowman Building

Materials Needed: Recycled Newspaper and Recycled Tissue Paper (leftover from the holidays). 2 white garbage bags, eyes, nose, buttons made from construction paper,tape, a hat and a scarf.

Directions:
1-As the children arrive, have them help you make "snowballs" with the paper.  This always leads to a fun indoors snowball fight with our mommies. 

2-When the snowball fight has died down, have the children help you fill two plastic garbage bags with the "snowballs."  These will make large "snowballs" for an indoor snowman.

3-Tie the two bags together.

4-Allow the children to add a face, buttons, and accessories.

5-Enjoy your snowman friend during circle time and other activities during Mommy and Me that day!

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

Stranger in the Woods is one of my favorite books.  It is beautifully illustrated with real photographs of wildlife in the snowy woods. The animals are pictured enjoying a special treat left by children:  a snowman decorated with yummy treats for the birds, deer, and squirrels to eat.  My son is currently obsessed with birds and so this is one of his favorites, as well.  It is a fun read aloud if you give different voices to each of the animals. 
 
After reading the book, we counted snowmen using flannel board snowmen. We sang 3 different songs and finger plays.  5 Little Snowmen Standing in a Row , Once There Was a Snowman, and A Chubby Little Snowman. 

Art: 
Pinecone Peanut Butter Birdfeeders

Materials Needed: Peanut Butter (or crisco, if you work at a peanut free school), 1 plastic knife and plate per child, 1 pine cone per child (rub edges on driveway to make the points dull and easier for small hands to handle), bird seed, string, garbage bag, and 1 plastic bag per child

Directions:
1-Tie the string around the top of the pine cone BEFORE you spread the peanut butter. 
2-Allow the children to cover their pinecones with peanut butter.  We scooped some on each child's plates so that they wouldn't have to share the jar.

3-Bring the pinecones outside.  Roll the pinecones in a pile of birdseed that has been poured into a plastic bag.  (Helps sooo much with clean up).

4-Place each completed bird feeder in a plastic bag to take home.

5-Hang your bird feeder in a place where your child can watch his animals friends enjoy.


Snack:
Rice Cake Snowmen and Snow Cones

Rice Cake Snowmen

Materials Needed: Each child will need: 3 mini rice cakes, cream cheese, 2 chocolate chip eyes, 1 carrot sliver,  3 raisin buttons.
Directions: Allow the children to assemble their snowmen anyway they choose and enjoy!

Snow Cones: One of the mommies had a snow cone machine.  We shaved the ice and allowed the children to scoop it into their cups and add their own flavoring.  It was a fun treat!

Activity: 
Shaving Cream Snow Art

Materials Needed: Shaving Cream with a mild scent, lots of water and cloths for clean up :)

Directions:  Pour 3 balls of shaving cream on the table in the form of a snowman for each child.  Allow them to "finger paint" in the shaving cream snow.  We drew letters and pictures with our children to encourage them to explore the shaving cream.  This activity was more enjoyable for some of our kids than others. Some are more tactile and enjoy the feeling of new textures, a couple were a little hesitant.

The Polar Express

Special Note: Have the children wear pajamas and prepare tickets for the train ride during circle time.

Gathering Activity:
Jingle Bells Bracelets 
Supplies Needed: loose assortment of jingle bells of various sizes and colors, 1 pipe cleaner per child
Directions: Allow the children to string several jingle bells on to a pipe cleaner.   Parents will twist the ends to make a bracelet when finished.

Circle Time:  We read the book The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.  This is a magical story of a young boy who travels aboard a train bound for the North Pole on Christmas Eve.  He is selected to receive the first gift of Christmas from Santa.  He selects a bell from Santa's reindeer, that only those who believe in Santa can hear.   (Which is why all of our activities have to do with trains and jingle bells this week).  :)

After we read the story, each of the children were given a ticket to board our own Polar Express.  We lined up chairs and created our own train.  Each child took turns sitting in the first seat and "driving" the train.  Whoever was seated in the "engine" selected a favorite Christmas song that we sang together.   We rang our jingle bell bracelets as we sang our songs.

Art:
Polar Express Jingle Bell Shoebox Train Art
Supplies Needed:  1 train cut out per child, 1 shoe box per child, red, green and white paint, jingle bells, spoons, glue, black paper, tape, and q-tips
Directions: 1-Tape the train cut out in the bottom of a shoebox.  2-Using a spoon, dip a jingle bell into a paint color and then place bell in the box.  3-Shut lid and shake.  4-Repeat steps 2 &3 with additional colors. 5-Glue train shape onto a black sheet of construction paper.  5-Use white paint and a q-tip to add snow to your  Polar Express landscape.

Snack:
Train Cake, Hot Cocoa, and Marshmallows
I have a great train shaped cake pan that we used to make pound cake  We enjoyed it with warm cocoa and yummy marshmallows.  (Just like the kids in the story).  I would also suggest finding candy with white nougat centers, but I was unable to find any before our party.  (I found lots afterwards).

Activities:
1-Present Toss: Place jingle bells inside of an open gift box.  Allow the children to toss bean bag "presents" into the box.  When they hit the sides of the box they get a musical surprise.

2-Jingle Bell Blanket Toss: Place jingle bells in the middle of a blanket.  Sing "Jingle Bells" together as you shake the edges of the sheet like a parachute.  When you say "Hey!", toss the bells into the air.  I think we could have played this game the entire hour and a half and the kids would have been thrilled!

3-Present Pass: We wrapped identical train puzzle presents for each of the children, with his/her own magical sleigh bell on top.  We played Christmas music and passed the packages around in a circle.  We started with one present and added one at a time until we were passing one per child.  The children had to use a great deal of coordination to pass so that they each only had one present.   When the music stopped, they opened their presents and did the puzzles.

Santa's Noisy Night

 

 Gathering Activity We made Reindeer Food together.  The children each measured their own ingredients into their own bags and shook them up.  We placed the poem inside.  I have done this for several years as a teacher and with my own children.  I am not sure where I originally found the poem and recipe, but I am sharing a link in case you need one.

 

 

 

Circle Time We read Santa's Noisy Night by Julie Sykes.  This is a funny story, perfect for a read aloud to 3 year olds!  It follows Santa along his Christmas Eve journey as he tries unsuccessfully to remember to be quiet and not wake up the children.  It is perfect for a read aloud.  There is repetition which the children can join in on, yelling and whispering, which makes it easy to be silly with, and familiar characters like reindeer, snowmen, elves, and of course, the Big Man himself.  After sharing the story, we sang "Up on the Housetop," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."  We also did the following Finger plays.  (You can click on the links to find the complete words).  We did "Call Rudolph", and each child helped take away a reindeer figure during the finger play.  We did "Here is the Chimney" and "There's A Little Reindeer."  The last one was originally about an elf, but we changed it, and I gave each child a Little People Reindeer to use to act out the song with me.  This one was by far their favorite.  We sang it several times.  

 

 

Art We made these adorable Paper plate Santas.  You can find directions here at No Time For Flashcards.  This was a wonderful fine motor activity that the children could do without much help. 

 

 

Games

Pin the Nose on Rudolph: One of our talented moms made these super cute Pin the Nose on the Reindeer Game.  She drew a noseless reindeer on poster board and cut out enough red noses for each child to have to turns.  We covered the children's eyes with our own hands, so it wouldn't be as frightening as a blindfold.  

 

 

 

 Quiet Santa Says Played like Simon Says, but whisper all of the directions. 

 

Snack Reindeer Sandwiches:  These fun sandwiches have been around forever.  Another one of our fantastic moms made these from peanut butter triangle sandwiches, pretzels for antlers, cherry noses, and marshmallow eyes with mini chocolate chips.  I had to take a picture fast, because these disappeared quickly!