Brrr! A Four-Day Winter Wonders Exploration (Ages 3-4)

Materials Needed

• Books about Winter (e.g., snowy day books, simple animal hibernation stories)
• Sensory Bin items: Cotton balls, ice cubes (if safe and supervised), dry beans, small plastic scoops
• Winter Clothes (Hat, gloves, scarf) and a large stuffed animal/doll
• Art supplies: White paper, construction paper (blue, white, gray), glue sticks, cotton balls, non-toxic white paint or Play-Doh/salt dough
• Small plastic toys (for ice excavation)
• Tape or painter’s tape
• Picture cards of winter items (snowflake, hat, cocoa) and non-winter items (flower, sun, beach ball)
• Optional: Music for movement activities, laminated color cards (blue, white)

Learning Objectives (L.O.)

By the end of this module, the learner will be able to:

• Identify and name three core concepts of winter (cold, snow, warm clothes).
• Demonstrate fine motor skills by manipulating small objects (scooping, gluing).
• Sort objects into two simple categories (Winter vs. Not Winter).
• Use simple descriptive language related to temperature (hot/cold).

Day 1: Feeling the Cold and Staying Warm (L.O. 1, 4)

Introduction (10 minutes)

Hook & Set-Up

Educator: "Brrr! How does the air feel outside today? Let’s pretend we are outside. Show me your cold face! When it is winter, it is cold! What do we wear to keep our bodies warm?"

Objectives in Kid-Friendly Language

"Today we will learn how to keep our bodies warm when it is cold, cold, cold!"

Body: Content & Practice (25 minutes)

1. I Do: Identifying Warm Gear (5 minutes)

Modeling: The educator shows a hat, scarf, and gloves. "Look! This hat keeps my head warm. This scarf keeps my neck warm. These gloves keep my hands warm." The educator models putting on one item and exaggerating the warmth ("Ahhh, so cozy!").

2. We Do: Dressing the Bear (10 minutes)

Guided Practice: The learner and educator work together to dress a stuffed animal or doll in the provided winter clothes.

• Educator Guidance: "Can you help put the hat on Teddy's head? Good job! That needs small fingers. We use the scarf to hug Teddy’s neck."
• Success Criteria: The learner successfully places two items of clothing on the bear/doll with minimal assistance.

3. You Do: The Warm/Cold Sensory Tub (10 minutes)

Independent Practice/Exploration: Provide the learner with a sensory bin containing two contrasting textures/temperatures (e.g., ice cubes/frozen water vs. soft cotton balls/flannel pieces).

• Instruction: "Find something cold! Say 'Cold!' Now find something warm! Say 'Warm!'"
• Differentiation (Scaffolding): If ice is too messy or unsafe, use a cold pack wrapped in a cloth vs. a heat pack (not too hot!) or simply cold metal objects vs. warm fleece.

Conclusion (10 minutes)

Recap: "We learned that clothes keep us WARM, and winter air and ice feel COLD. Show me your warm hands! Show me your cold face!"

Formative Assessment: Ask the learner to point to the picture of the hat when the word "warm" is said.

Day 2: Exploring Snow and Ice (L.O. 1, 2, 4)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Hook & Set-Up

Educator: "Yesterday we felt how cold ice is. What about snow? Snow is cold, too! Snow is like tiny, tiny ice flakes."

Objectives in Kid-Friendly Language

"Today we will play with 'snow' and make big, cold mountains!"

Body: Content & Practice (30 minutes)

1. I Do: Mixing the "Snow" (5 minutes)

Modeling: Educator demonstrates mixing ingredients for salt dough or shows pre-mixed white Play-Doh. "Snow is white! It is soft when it falls, but we can squeeze it into a hard ball!" (Demonstrate squeezing the dough/clay).

2. We Do: Building Snow Shapes (15 minutes)

Guided Practice: Learner and educator work together to build small shapes or "snowballs" using the dough/clay.

• Skill Focus: Rolling, pinching, stacking (fine motor).
• Educator Guidance: "Let's roll a small snowball. Now let's stack it on top of a big one! That looks like a snowman’s body!"
• Differentiation (Extension): Introduce simple tools like plastic knives or cookie cutters for precision cutting.

3. You Do: Ice Excavation (10 minutes)

Independent Practice/Exploration: Provide the learner with a block of ice that has small toys frozen inside (prepared ahead of time). Provide warm water and simple tools (plastic spoons, droppers).

• Instruction: "Use the spoon to chip the ice and save the toy! The ice is melting slowly. Melting means it is going from hard to wet." (Supervised activity.)
• Success Criteria: The learner actively engages in trying to free the toy or repeatedly touches the ice and labels it "cold."

Conclusion (10 minutes)

Recap: "We made big mountains of 'snow'! We saved the toys trapped in the hard, cold ice. Snow is cold and white!"

Formative Assessment: Ask the learner to show you the difference between the hard 'snowball' they made and the soft dough before it was molded.

Day 3: Winter Colors and Cozy Creatures (L.O. 1, 2)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Hook & Set-Up

Educator: "When we look outside in winter, what colors do we see? Lots of WHITE snow, maybe blue shadows, and maybe gray clouds!"

Objectives in Kid-Friendly Language

"Today we will find the winter colors: white and blue. We will also make a soft, white winter animal!"

Body: Content & Practice (30 minutes)

1. I Do: Winter Color Hunt (5 minutes)

Modeling: The educator identifies objects in the immediate environment that are white, blue, or gray. "Look, the paper is WHITE, just like snow! My shirt has a little bit of BLUE, just like the cold sky."

2. We Do: Reading and Sensory Animal Time (10 minutes)

Guided Practice: Read a short book about winter animals (e.g., polar bears, bears hibernating). Focus on the texture of the animal's coat (soft, furry).

• Q&A: "Does the bear sleep all winter? Yes! He is cozy!" "Is the polar bear white or brown? White, to match the snow!"
• Activity: Let the learner touch a faux fur swatch or a very soft, white blanket to connect texture with the animal's coat.

3. You Do: Polar Bear Paw Craft (15 minutes)

Independent Practice/Art: Provide a pre-cut bear paw shape (blue or gray construction paper) and plenty of cotton balls and glue sticks.

• Instruction: "We are going to make this paw look like a soft polar bear paw. Use your small fingers to peel the cotton ball and stick it onto the glue. We need to fill the whole paw with soft WHITE balls!" (Focus on fine motor skills: peeling, sticking, squeezing glue.)
• Success Criteria: The learner successfully covers at least half of the paw shape with glued cotton balls.

Conclusion (10 minutes)

Recap: Review the colors and the polar bear craft. "We saw white, blue, and gray! Our bear paw is soft and white! Did we use our gluing muscles today? Yes!"

Formative Assessment: Hold up the blue and white construction paper and ask the learner to point to the color of the snow (White).

Day 4: Winter Wrap-Up and Sorting Fun (L.O. 1, 3)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Hook & Set-Up

Educator: "We have learned so many winter things! Cold clothes, soft snow, and cozy polar bears. Let’s remember everything we did!"

Objectives in Kid-Friendly Language

"Today we will move like winter animals and we will decide what things belong in WINTER and what things do not!"

Body: Content & Practice (30 minutes)

1. I Do: Winter Movement (10 minutes)

Modeling: The educator leads simple movements associated with winter concepts.

• "Stomp your feet like you’re walking in deep snow!" (Heavy stomping)
• "Curl up tight and hibernate like a bear!" (Pretend to sleep)
• "Shiver because you are COLD!" (Wiggle fast)
• "Glide like an ice skater!" (Simple arm movement)

2. We Do: The Winter Collection (10 minutes)

Guided Practice: Create a large space on the floor or table. Bring out all the crafts and materials used this week (the polar bear paw, the 'snowballs', the hat/gloves). The learner and educator arrange them into a "Winter Wonders Museum."

• Educator Guidance: As each item is placed, the educator asks, "Is this warm or cold?" or "What color is this?"

3. You Do: The Winter Sort (10 minutes)

Summative Assessment/Independent Practice: Set up two designated areas: one labeled "WINTER" (perhaps with a snowflake drawing) and one labeled "NOT WINTER" (perhaps with a sun drawing). Provide pre-made picture cards (e.g., hat, cocoa, mittens, tree with leaves, flower, beach ball).

• Instruction: "Look at the picture. Does this belong in winter? If yes, put it in the WINTER spot! If no, put it in the NOT WINTER spot."
• Success Criteria (Assessment): The learner correctly sorts at least 4 out of 6 cards into the appropriate categories.

Conclusion (10 minutes)

Recap & Celebration: Review the sorted cards and give positive feedback. "You are an expert winter sorter! You know exactly what keeps us warm and what the snow looks like!"

Differentiation (Extension): Have the learner draw their favorite thing they learned about winter and explain the drawing in one or two simple sentences (recorded by the educator if necessary).

Next Steps: Transition to a related topic, such as "Colors of the Rainbow" or "More Animals."