Welcome back! This month's theme for Books and Beyond is SNOW!! I am in the middle of getting ready to move across the country, so I didn't do a book study to go with this theme. I just thought I would give you ideas for books about snow to read to your students and snow-related classroom activities.

Here are five books that would be fun to read on a snowy day (or a day you wish was snowy).

1. THE SNOW GLOBE FAMILY
Oh, when will it snow again? wonders the little family who lives in the snow globe. They long for a swirling snowstorm—if only someone in the big family would pick up the snow globe and give it a great big shake.


2. THE STORY OF SNOW
How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered in this visually stunning exploration of the science of snow. Perfect for reading on winter days, the book features photos of real snow crystals in their beautiful diversity. Snowflake-catching instructions are also included.


Find on Amazon



3. BUILDING AN IGLOO
A fascinating book about an Inuit father and son building an igloo. Building an Igloo explains that while the Inuit no longer live in igloos, the father and son in this book build igloos when they go hunting. 

Summary from Delightful Children's Books


4. TOO MANY MITTENS
This tale is about twin boys in the very cold state of Michigan. When one of them loses a red mitten, the whole town begins to bring them the ones they find, despite the real one’s quick reappearance. Dismayed by the amount of so many lost red mittens, the boys concoct a plan to help the mittens find their owners. 


Summary from Three Books a Night

5. SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY
From the time he was a small boy in Vermont, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist's vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature.

Found on Amazon

Now for the round-up of snow activities for the classroom:

1. SNOWFLAKE SYMMETRY
I found this idea on Simply Second Grade. She started by showing her class pictures of real snowflakes and discussing how they have six sides and are symmetrical. They searched for other symmetrical items around the classroom, and practiced drawing lines of symmetry on the real snowflake pictures.

To make the symmetrical snowflakes, cut out strips of blue paper and staple or glue together to form the snowflake shape. Then cut out pattern block shapes (a lot of schools have these as die-cuts). Students can put the shapes on their snowflakes in any pattern they want, but they must be symmetrical. I thought this was a really cute idea.



2. SNOWMAN EXPERIMENT
I have seen this on Pinterest, and I think it is a great activity to demonstrate matter. Make an ice snowman by filling balloons with water and then freezing. Then put it in your classroom and watch it melt. Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas has lots of details and pictures of what she did with her daughters.








3. SNOW GLOBE WRITING
This activity could be used in a variety of ways. You could use it as an activity to go along with the book Snow Globe Family, and have kids put their family inside the snow globe. Or they could put themselves inside the snow globe (you could even use pictures of them), and write about fun things they like to do in the snow. There are a few different options for how to do your snow globe, too. I like this one from Lessons With Laughter.

This is also a cute idea from First Grade Wow:



4. LIVE PENGUIN CAM
Ok, this is more of a penguin activity, but they are just too darn cute, I had to include them in this list! If you click on the link below, you can watch what the penguins are doing on the live webcam. You could read some penguin books before or while the kids are watching the penguins. You could also use this to go along with a penguin unit and learn all about penguins. Either way, I think your students would love it.

California Academy of Sciences Penguin Cam

5. SNOWMAN ORNAMENT
I love to make ornaments with my students that they can hang on their Christmas tree at home. I found this idea from Ideas by Jivey and I just think it is so cute. You would need clear ornaments, fake snow, pipe cleaners, pom poms, sticky googly eyes, and markers. This activity might be a little tricky to do with a large class, but you might want to just have the students put on the googly eyes, draw the nose and mouth, and pick out their pom poms. Then you can use a glue gun to glue the pom poms and pipe cleaner together.










What other books or activities do you like to use in the winter months? Leave a comment below!

I will be taking a few months off from Books and Beyond while I move and get settled in Illinois, but keep your eye out for future book club link-ups.