Over and Under the Snow by Kate MessnerThis book, along with Over and Under the Pond and Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt, portrays life over and under ground. Each book gives kids a peak into a world that is unseen below them. This particular story is great for showing kids which animals hibernate during winter and which animals are still scurrying about beneath a layer of snow. The hunting fox was a favourite in our house (along with a few video clips of how they pounce!). All 3 are gorgeously illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal.
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⚈ 1 Play ideas ⚈ 2 Classroom Activities ⚈ 3 Links to more Resources Get your hands on this book here: |
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Invitation to play - Age 2+
To reinforce the idea of animals living over and under the snow, try setting up an invitation to play. We used some pillow stuffing in a box on its side (so you could have a side view of the over and under). You could also use cotton balls and have more of a sensory tub with animals hidden underneath and others sitting on top. If you don't have all the animals in the book (we didn't!), you could cut them out of magazines, draw them or make them out of play dough or clay (we used clay as it is a bit more solid for those little squishing hands). Try reading the book again and talking about all the animals that live beneath the snow, then I let him explore the snowy scene and enjoy the animals. Read about when we originally shared it on Instagram - HERE |
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Den building - Age 2+
If you are talking about hibernation, why not create a bear den? Kids always love building forts or structures to sit in, which is a great way to expand on the idea of hibernation. We usually build inside with couch cushions and bed sheets but we recently got a set of poles which are perfect for building outside. You could also use string tied in a few places to hold up a sheet (we did it on a deck) or some large sticks stuck in the ground. To go for a 'snowy' look use white bed sheets or blankets. Ask kids what they think a bear would need for a whole winter and get them to collect items from the garden (they could also make them if you are staying inside or just use their imagination!). We ended up with a huge soft layer of leaves for the 'bear' to sleep on and some pine cones to eat! Read about when we originally shared it on Instagram HERE |
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Lift the flap hibernating animals- Age 1+
Hibernation isn't really an idea that a toddler is going to fully grasp, but they certainly know a lot about sleep (or lack of it!!). Also, lift the flaps! Everyone loves to lift the flaps. Why not try some 'sleeping' and 'awake' pictures of animals? Draw a simple animal face shape (we used the fox and bear from the book so we could discuss how one sleeps during winter and one stays up) and cut out eye holes. Then cut out and glue onto another paper (except the eye lids of course). You can ask little ones to help put the to sleep or which one sleeps in winter or just let them play away!
Hibernation isn't really an idea that a toddler is going to fully grasp, but they certainly know a lot about sleep (or lack of it!!). Also, lift the flaps! Everyone loves to lift the flaps. Why not try some 'sleeping' and 'awake' pictures of animals? Draw a simple animal face shape (we used the fox and bear from the book so we could discuss how one sleeps during winter and one stays up) and cut out eye holes. Then cut out and glue onto another paper (except the eye lids of course). You can ask little ones to help put the to sleep or which one sleeps in winter or just let them play away!
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- Create wildlife trading cards with facts about different hibernating animals
- Use as part of an author study and compare to other books in the Over and Under series
- Identify which geographic areas animals actually hibernate in
- Find out more about how animals that hibernate survive all winter
- Create art using real leaves to 'hide' animals living underneath
You can find a simple art lesson plan to follow HERE.
Click below for other books and activities about the winter time:
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