Winter Fun Storytime

In my last post, I mentioned that Wisconsin has been dealing with quite a bit of winter weather lately. Schools, libraries, and many other businesses closed their doors as snow and heavy winds made doing much of anything outside miserable. It was a good day to stay home with a good book and some cocoa. Unfortunately, the bad weather also meant the my preschool storytimes for the week were also canceled.

Ironically enough, my planned storytime was all about Winter Fun - dressing warmly, building snowmen, sledding, etc. Even though I did not get to hold this storytime as planned at the library, I still think it's worth celebrating some great books about all of the good things winter brings! We planned to start off by looking at hats, mittens, boots, scarves, and jackets and I get dressed for some winter fun. Then we would move on to some stories:

Under My Hood I Have a Hat by Karla Kuskin
A young girl shows off the many different layers and accessories that she must wear if she wants to go outside during the winter. In the end she reveals that with so many layers she must be careful not to fall, "because / I can't get up at all."

The Mitten: A Ukranian Folktale by Jan Brett
A boy looses his white knit mitten in the snow, where it is found by a mole who decides that the mitten would be a cozy place to rest. Soon he is joined by a host of other animals who all squeeze in together as the mitten stretches out.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
When snow falls, Peter goes outside and has a fun day playing in the snow. This beautiful book won the Caldecott Medal in 1963.

Red Sled by Patricia Thomas
A boy and his dad race through the winter snow on a red sled. This book is told in short two-word descriptions, with each of the paired words rhyming. A sweet story that would be perfect to share with both preschoolers and younger toddlers.

A number of other activities were also planned, including a song to the tune of "Frere Jacques" about falling snow and an action rhyme about building a snowman. My favorite activity, however, is The Winter Pokey! Just like the Hokey Pokey, but with the words customized for a dance full of winter fun:

You put your left mitten in, you put your left mitten out,
You put your left mitten in and you shake it all about.
You do the Winter Pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!

You put your right mitten in...
You put your left boot in...
You put your right boot in...
You put your hat in...
You put your snowsuit in...

With any luck the snow will hold out for a couple more weeks so that I'll have the chance to share this fun storytime with my preschoolers anyway. Wait, did I just wish for more winter?