As the snow began to fall outside, Brooke looked at the snowflakes falling from the sky. She insisted on encouraging all of her friends to look through the window. Their eyes sparkled as they watched the ground and trees covered in the white snow.
On one occasion, we all got ready to explore snow outside. We had our winter gear on and each child was given a squeeze bottle, filled with various colours of water of their choice. As educators, it was so exciting to see their faces when they squeezed the water out and observed how the water coloured the snow. Children were going all around the playground to make sure the snow was fully covered. They also discussed how all the bottles have different colours in them. Some children expressed they were creating smiley faces, stars and cars on the snow.
By choosing their own colors and painting the snow, the toddlers expressed their creativity. They explored the concept of how snow can look different through colors and shapes, encouraging imaginative thinking and art skills when making different shapes. The children learn about various colors and how they interact. For instance, some toddlers learned that mixing certain colors creates new ones (e.g., Yellow and blue to make the colour green). This enhances their understanding of cause and effect.
Toddlers had a great opportunity to learn about winter, work on their fine motor skills, and express themselves artistically through this experience. It was an enjoyable, multisensory experience that promoted creativity and social connection. I wonder when we will have the opportunity to repeat this similar activity again, and what other ways we can explore creating on the snow?
