Welcome to the Snowed-In Winter Book Festival!
One of the things I love most about winter is SNOW and being “snowed in” seems to happen frequently (whether officially…or “by choice”). So I’ve decided to dedicate an entire week of posts to our favorite snow books and the things we can do with them. Our book choice for this wonderful week of snow is Story of the Snow Children.
I can’t think of a better way to continue our Snow Festival week than with The Story of the Snow Children by Sibylle von Olfers. Who couldn’t love Poppy in her little red hat going to a winter’s feast? I was trying to remember the first time I heard this story and I can’t remember. It seems like its been a constant throughout my life.
As Poppy is gazing out of the window she notices the soft gently blowing snowflakes have little faces and are actually snow children. As they dance and swirl in the garden they soon take Poppy away to the snow kingdom of the Snow Queen. There, Poppy is welcomed to the grand festival by the Queen and her princess. Amidst the sparkling snow kingdom is dancing, feasting, and exciting games. At the end of all this play, Poppy sleepily returns home to recount her tales of the snow children to her listening mother.
To grab your copy of this book, go HERE.
To set the stage for the wonderful and exciting snow festival we need to be dressed appropriately. There is nothing better than a message crown to make one feel like wintry royalty.
Something To Do: A Message Crown
Materials:
An assortment of 81/2 x 10 paper
An assortment of 12 x 12 paper
White card stock or blank index cards
Scissors
Picking shears
Small fasteners
Glue dots or glue
Tape
Heart Pattern
Large Circle pattern
Small circle pattern
Large triangle pattern
Small triangle pattern
To make a message crown you will need the following:
1 woven heart
2 large circles
2 small circles
2 large triangles
2 small triangles
2 -12 inch paper strips, 2 inches wide
How to make the woven heart
Fold a 81/2 x 11 ½ sheet of paper in half
Place the bottom of the heart pattern on the fold
Trace pattern twice onto the paper, each one placed on the fold.
Cut the two center lines on each heart piece.
Weaving Your Heart
Weaving a heart is a little different than weaving. We aren’t going under and over but in and through. The left hand side of the heart I’ve marked ABC. The right hand side of the heart I’ve marked 123. Let’s try this step by step. Look at the photos for help.
Step 1: Place C (left side piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).
Step 2: Place 2 (right hand piece) inside C (left hand piece).
Step 3: Place C (left hand piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).
Step 4: Place 1 (right hand piece) inside B (left hand piece).
Step 5: Place B(left hand piece) inside 2 (right hand piece).
Step 6: Place 1 (right hand piece) inside B ( left hand piece).
Step 7: Place C (left side piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).
Step 8: Place 2 (right hand piece) inside C (left hand piece).
Step 9: Place C (left hand piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).
To Make the Message Crown you will Need the Following:
Two large circles
Two small circles
Two large triangles
Two small triangles
Make the Crown band
Take 2 12 x 12 inch pieces of paper. Place them wrong sides together.
Tape an inch on both the bottom left and right hand sides. This will hold your crown sides together.
Measure 2 inches from the bottom, fold, and cut along folded line. This is your crown band.
Crown Assembling
Take a folded heart and turn it over. On the reverse side, place a couple of glue dots down towards the bottom of the heart. Taking your crown band with the taped sides lying horizontally, place the heart in the center of the crown band.
Take one large circle and one small circle. Place small circle on top of the large circle and fasten with a small fastener. Make two of theses. Once together turn both pieces over and place a couple of glue dots on the circle and then place one circle to the right of the heart, and the other to the left of the heart.
Take one large triangle and one small triangle. Place a small triangle on top of the large triangle. Hold them together with a small fastener. Make two of these. Turn the triangles over and place a couple of glue dots on each triangle. Place the triangles to the left of the circles.
Adjusting your crown
Place the crown on the head holding it center on the forehead. In the back of the head, grab the crown band, gathering up the excess. Fold it over and tape it to fit.
Messages
The heart on the center of the crown is actually a little basket. It’s a perfect place for friends to leave messages for each other. To make your messages take the card stock and cut it into 8 rectangles. You can also use index cards as well. Cut those into quarters. Use your pinking shears to go around the edges. Write a heartfelt message. During the snow festival go around delivering your messages to your friends.
**Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may get a very small commission. This money goes towards postage and supplies to keep books and ideas in the hands of young readers!
–
Kids and nature go hand-and-hand and enjoying the bounty that the great outdoors brings is not just a “summer thing.” The newest book from children’s book authors Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters teaches families everywhere to enjoy not only the great outdoors with month-by-month activities, but to jump deeper into the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” More details HERE!
The post The Snowed-In Winter Book Festival- The Story of the Snow Children appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
Welcome to the Snowed-In Winter Book Festival! One of the things I love most about winter is SNOW and being “snowed in” seems to happen frequently (whether officially…or “by choice”). So I’ve decided to dedicate an entire week of posts to our favorite snow books and the things we can do with them. Our book choice for this wonderful week of snow is Snow by Uri Shulevitz!
Snow by Uri Shulevitz has stood the test of time in our house. In winter it is never far from reach and is always the very first book to come off the shelf during the very first snow storm of the season.
“It’s snowing, said boy with dog.
“It’s only a snowflake,” said grandfather with beard.
No one thinks one or two snowflakes will amount to anything. Not the man with the hat or the lady with the umbrella. Not even the television or the radio forecasters. But one boy and his dog have faith that the snow will amount to something spectacular, and when flakes start to swirl down on the city, they are also the only ones who know how to truly enjoy it. This playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations.
The story is a perfect balance between words and illustrations. It isn’t cluttered with too many words. It allows both the reader and the read -to, to use their own imagination, and to wonder what is really happening or what is really going to happen. Each time we pick up this classic read, we can always spy something new which could be happening.
Something To Do: Homemade Snow Cream!
When one is hoping for a giant snowstorm and then one appears, the next thing one should be thinking is, SNOWCREAM. Did you know you can make ice cream out of snow? If by chance today you are in a place where it is snowing you can make yourself a little bowl of magic right now. For the rest of us, we will just have something to look forward to.
- 8 cups of snow
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
Mix milk, vanilla, and sugar until dissolved. Add snow, stir until consistency is thick and creamy. Serve immediately. Might I suggest that it tastes great with chocolate chips or little goodies (small candy) too.
What kind of snow fun can you create?
****Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may get a very small commission. This money goes towards postage and supplies to keep books and ideas in the hands of young readers!
–
Here’s another idea for great “snowed-in” reading! The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an Enhanced Digital eBook for Kids that is an entertaining and educational children’s book enhanced with animations, games, recipes, videos, and more providing hours of fun for kids and parents alike.
Based on the beloved story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this interactive children’s ebook is filled with action and adventure. With over 20 crafts and activities (including creating Gobstopper Gum and Chocolate Rivers, golden tickets, handmade Willy Wonka hats, etc.), this beautifully illustrated ebook re-lives the wonder and amazement through Willy Wonka’s world of magic. Grab your copy of Charlie at iTunes ASAP!
Don’t have an Apple device, but still want to experience the thrill, activities and magic of The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? This entertaining and educational children’s book based on the beloved story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is available in PDF form! With over 20 crafts and activities (including creating Gobstopper Gum and Chocolate Rivers, golden tickets, handmade Willy Wonka hats, etc.), this beautifully illustrated PDF re-lives the wonder and amazement through Willy Wonka’s world of magic.
The post The Snowed-In Winter Book Festival-Snow by Uri Shulevitz appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
Welcome to the Snowed-In Winter Book Festival!
One of the things I love most about winter is SNOW and being “snowed in” seems to happen frequently (whether officially…or “by choice”). So I’ve decided to dedicate an entire week of posts to our favorite snow books and the things we can do with them. Our first book choice for this wonderful week of snow is “Blizzard” by John Rocco.
How many times have we been released from school early because it started snowing ? I remember those days and see my own children’s excitement when that happens. Blizzard is a true life account of one such day and what followed to author John Rocco.
It was the infamous blizzard of 1978. On Monday is started to snow and as the wind whipped up school was released early. By the time John and his sister had reached home the snow was already covering their boots. By morning they couldn’t even open the front door.
On Tuesday they climbed out the window and had themselves a real “snow day” and went sledding. Sitting by the fire they sat drinking hot chocolate.
On Wednesday they climbed out the same window and dug snow tunnels making secret rooms under the snow.
By Thursday the snow plows still hadn’t come and their food started to run out. Young John Rocco was sure they wouldn’t be able to survive much longer on hot cocoa made with water.
On Friday, John consults his Arctic Survival Guide and realizes that he can take action. He had memorized the survival guide and knew what equipment he needed to be able to get to the store and save his family. Snowshoes made of tennis rackets would do just the trick.
On Saturday he made a grocery list and prepared his sled to carry it all. Then he was off. A very fun pull out neighborhood map shows the route John took and the distractions he found along the way. From building a snowman with friends to climbing a lookout tree, making a snow angel, exploring an igloo, joining a snowball fight, to checking in with neighbors and even getting lost.
At last he reached the store. He was tired. He was hungry and chilled to the bone but he couldn’t think of himself at a time like this, he had to rescue his family and the neighborhood from the deep clutches of the blizzard of 78.
On his way home he dropped off the groceries to the various neighbors. All were so grateful for John’s help.
Over hot chocolate made with milk, John shared the tale of his perilous journey to the grocery store.
The next day Sunday, snow plows finally arrived and John and his family had survived the blizzard of 1978.
This book is on our favorite book of 2014 list. Not only is John an amazing storyteller, bringing simple everyday life activities to a hero’s journey of a storybook, but he is a brilliant artist and illustrated the book as well. The book is laid out very cleverly with a fold out map. His use of the days of the week written in different clever ways. He is creative in his approach to capturing the colors of snow. In all we felt a part of his blizzard and wished we could have been there right there with him. This is a must read !!! Don’t miss this one.
Somethings To Do:
Hot Chocolate
I have one of the best recipes for hot chocolate. It will have you wanting more and even willing to walk to the store in a blizzard to get the supplies.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- A gallon of milk, or enough for all participants
Step 1 : Making the Base
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate in the water, stirring constantly until it is smooth.
- Add the salt and sugar, continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely while you prepare the whipped cream. This chocolate base will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Step 2: Whipping the Cream
- Place a metal bowl and the beaters of a hand mixer in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from freezer and whip the cream together with the vanilla extract.
- Gently stir in the cooled chocolate mixture.
- Place the chocolate cream mixture in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight to chill thoroughly and allow the flavors to blend.
Step 3: How to Make the Hot Chocolate
To make the hot chocolate you will need a gallon of milk and the refrigerated chocolate cream.
- In each cup place a large spoonful of the chocolate cream mixture.
- Slowly heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk so it won’t scald.
- Pour hot milk into each cup and stir well. Sprinkle with freshly grated cinnamon.
(This recipe comes from the book The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Valarie Budayr and Roscoe Welply)
Snow Angels
1. Pick a spot.
2. Fresh powder works best—make a snow angel right after a storm, when the snow is untouched.
3. Fall backward.
4. Move your arms and legs.
5. Press your head.
6. Get up.
How to Make Snow Shoes Out of Tennis Rackets
Take two tennis rackets. Using thin rope or webbing attach your shoe to the toe and heal using webbing or a sturdy thin rope.
Sledding Games
Have two distinct lines going down a snow hill. Starting off at the same time, see who gets to the bottom of the hill first.
Snowball Fight Rules
To make sure your snow ball fights are safe and fair be sure to establish a “safety word” which will stop the game if anyone should be hurt or have their feelings hurt. Snowballs can only be made with snow. Adding anything to a snowball is dangerous. Set boundaries as to where the snow ball fight can take place. Set a time limit and make sure everyone plays fair.
Have a fun throwing snowballs !!
Snow Forts
Need some ideas on how to build a snow fort ? Have a look here and here.
**Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may get a very small commission. This money goes towards postage and supplies to keep books and ideas in the hands of young readers!
–
Here’s another idea for great “snowed-in” reading! The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an Enhanced Digital eBook for Kids that is an entertaining and educational children’s book enhanced with animations, games, recipes, videos, and more providing hours of fun for kids and parents alike.
Based on the beloved story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this interactive children’s ebook is filled with action and adventure. With over 20 crafts and activities (including creating Gobstopper Gum and Chocolate Rivers, golden tickets, handmade Willy Wonka hats, etc.), this beautifully illustrated ebook re-lives the wonder and amazement through Willy Wonka’s world of magic. Grab your copy of Charlie at iTunes ASAP!
Don’t have an Apple device, but still want to experience the thrill, activities and magic of The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? This entertaining and educational children’s book based on the beloved story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is available in PDF form! With over 20 crafts and activities (including creating Gobstopper Gum and Chocolate Rivers, golden tickets, handmade Willy Wonka hats, etc.), this beautifully illustrated PDF re-lives the wonder and amazement through Willy Wonka’s world of magic.
The post The Snowed-In Winter Book Festival- The Blizzard by John Rocco appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
