The weather has been crazy by us this winter! It’s been relatively cold, but has only snowed a couple of times. And when it has snowed, it has melted within a couple of days and then we’ve gone weeks with nothing. The kids have only gotten outside once to play in it since they have been sick on and off all winter. Since we have been missing the snow, I decided to bring the snow to us!… Well, the snowflakes at least!
My kids were all over this pattern block snowflake activity. The contact paper was an activity by itself! There were little handprints all over it before we even got to the pattern blocks. They were amazed at the stickiness, and even stuck their teddy bears to it, haha!
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Materials
If you’ve never used contact paper before, I strongly encourage you to try it. There are countless activities that you can do with it, and what kid doesn’t like sticking things to the wall or window?!
Set It Up
First and foremost, do NOT stick the sticky side to the window! You want the sticky side facing your kiddos so they can stick the pattern blocks to it. Use the painter’s tape to adhere the contact paper to the window (or wall) so no damage is done when you remove it.
Before I peeled off the backing of the contact paper, I went ahead and drew snowflakes on the non-sticky side. That way, my kiddos would have a guide to go by. You most certainly do not have to do this, especially if your kiddos are a bit older and can imagine the snowflakes for themselves. The lines just gave my littles a good point of reference on when to stop building so it didn’t turn into one ginormous snowflake!
Ready to try sensory bins with your kiddo? This bin is the perfect place to start!
Let Them Play!
I modeled how to create a snowflake first and we discussed which pieces might be good for the center and each ‘arm’ of the snowflake. Once my kiddos understood what I was asking, they were off! That’s when the enriching questioning comes in. I was able to focus on the shapes with my 4 year old and the colors with my 2 1/2 year old. Asking things like, “which color did you place in the middle? Where is the red shape? Can you make a white snowflake?” And, “Which shape are you using? Can you find a trapezoid? Which shape is yellow?” You can even pull in counting and patterns! “How many snowflakes have you made so far? Can you create a pattern with triangles and squares? How many hexagons did you use on that snowflake?” And the list goes on, and on!
Although simple, this activity has a high payoff. There is so much learning going on here. And not just colors, shapes and counting either. Oh no; there is so much more happening! There is cause and effect, prediction, planning, designing, and so on. Everyday life skills, people! And it was so easy to set up! All I had to do was tape the paper to the window!
And the best part? My kids actually enjoyed the activity! They kept creating and recreating snowflake designs throughout the afternoon. Through trial and error, they were learning which shapes went well together and how to make each snowflake unique. It was simply joyful to watch! So, grab your pattern blocks and some contact paper, and let the enrichment begin!
Looking for more creating fun? Check out my simple shape building activity!
