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Virtual Learning Winter

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​On this page you’ll find the proposed curriculum for each week, which generally will consist of two or three crafts and one sensory play.

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Please note that toddlers and young children should not be “required” to do any particular activity on this curriculum.  If they’re not into a craft or an activity, that’s okay!  Don’t force it. You can always try to introduce the craft or activity on another day or week.  

 

Playspace suggestion:  If you have the space and materials, we suggest arranging a playspace along the lines of the materials we had in Galoop.  Try creating a “puzzle” corner with a 2 or so puzzles set out each day; rotate the puzzles every few days.  Try also to have a blocks corner; an imaginary play corner; a corner for reading books; and a place where you set out the sensory bin.  (Don’t worry though if you don’t have the space or materials – these are just suggestions!)

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Here is our suggested daily schedule (you can modify as needed: e.g. feel free to go outside early in the morning and save the activities for after circle time, after nap, or for another day!):

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9:00-10:00: Arts/crafts and sensory play

10:00-10:30: Clean up time and snack (Cecilia will be live on Zoom for questions and to interact with your children beginning at 10:15!)

10:30-11:00: Live Spanish/English with Cecilia via Zoom on T/Th (recorded versions available!) circle time

11:00-11:30: Outdoor activity

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Warning:  Do not leave your toddler alone with small items that can be choking hazards; children under the age of 3 need to be supervised at all times.  Any use of  materials provided or recommended by Galoop is at your own risk.

Outdoor activities during our virtual Winter Session: Please try go outside every day – even when cold. It is very important for children to get fresh air and to play outdoors. Here are some fun ideas to try outside:

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  • Ice painting: find patches of ice on outdoor furniture (chairs, benches, tables) or driveway and paint with liquid water colors or washable tempera paint.

  • Stuffed animal sled ride: take your favorite toy and give it a sled ride around your neighborhood. You can pull a real sled with or make your own sled out of cardboard. And of course your child will love it when you give them a sled ride too

  • Coloring snow: fill a spray or squirt bottle with colored water (just add a few drops of food coloring) and start painting the snow. Look at all the patterns you can make!

  • Painting with snow: find a big tree trunk and start making designs with handfuls of snow. How much of the snow is sticking to the trunk?

  • Shoveling snow: involve your little one when you are shoveling your driveway or cleaning your car! Make a pile or accumulate snow on an area and bring out your sand toys and trucks to play with it.

  • Going to the park: when using proper gear swings and slides are still lots of fun during the winter!

  • Running around: active games such as tag, chase, hide and seek, kicking a ball around, etc are simple and fun and will keep you both warm

WEEK 1-Winter Small World
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Craft 1: Ice Cube Painting (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Place a few ice cubes inside a shallow bowl and set bowl on an art tray or newspaper to protect the table. Bring out a paintbrush and a bit of paint on a paper plate palette and start painting the ice. Notice what happens as ice starts to melt and the colors mix.

  • Day 2: Set up some liquid paint by mixing a bit of paint with water and this time use a pipette to paint the ice.

 

Materials:

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  • ice cubes

  • shallow bowl (preferably white or clear color)

  • paper plate palettes 

  • paint

  • paintbrushes

  • pipettes

  • art tray (or any shallow tray from home)

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

Craft 2: Snow Scenes (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up a blank piece of black or dark colored paper inside an art tray or on top pf newspaper on a table. Secure with blue tape. Bring out white paint in a cup or on a paper plate and a paintbrush. Start dipping and painting!

  • Day 2: Paint on shinny tin foil or on a piece of cardboard instead.

 

Materials:

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  • black/dark colored construction paper

  • white paint

  • paintbrushes

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

Sensory Play: Arctic Habitat (video guidance)

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Add all the materials to the sensory bin: brrr! Your little one will have so much fun with this sensory box. Sensory boxes are a great learning toy that encourages fine motor skills, imaginative play, and much more. Your child will love scooping, pouring, sorting, and exploring!

 

Materials:

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  • white rice & blue died rice OR cotton balls

  • arctic animal figurines

  • jewels, gems, rocks

  • long strings of puffy white/blue yarn

  • “snow” balls

  • scoops and cups

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WEEK 2: Winter Kitchen

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Craft 1: Gingerbread Playdough Cookie Bakery (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Make playdough with your child (see recipe below). A great activity on its own and so worth it – the playdough will smell delicious and last for a long time.

  • Day 2: Enjoy making gingerbread “cookies” out of playdough. Use your favorite cookie cutters and playdough tools.

 

Materials:

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  • homemade gingerbread playdough

  • cookie cutters

  • small rolling pins & spatulas from home

  • other playdough tools

Gingerbread Homemade Playdough Recipe

 

Ingredients:

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  • 1 cup all purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup salt

  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar

  • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

  • 2 tsp. ground ginger

  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

  • 1 tsp. ground cloves

  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 tsp orange or lemon extract (optional)
     

Instructions:

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Pour all dry ingredients into a medium saucepan and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix again.  Cook over low/medium heat until a ball starts forming and it pulls away from the sides (about 6 to 8 minutes).  Remove from heat and knead the dough until it matches playdough consistency (1-2 minutes).  After it cools off, place in airtight container or ziplock bag.  It will last at least 3 months!

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Craft 2: Decorating Gingerbread People (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up all materials and start decorating your gingerbread people cutouts.

  • Day 2: Use glue and small pieces of tissue paper (or any paper scraps) and add to your decoration from the day before.

 

Materials:

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  • gingerbread people cut outs

  • materials to decorate: stickers, googly eyes, sharpie, glue & small pieces of tissue paper, etc

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Sensory Play: Arctic Habitat Continued! (video guidance)

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Add all the materials to the sensory bin: brrr! Your little one will have hours of fun with this sensory box. Sensory boxes are a great learning toy that encourages fine motor skills, imaginative play, and much more. Your child will love scooping, pouring, sorting, and exploring!

 

Materials:

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  • white rice & blue died rice OR cotton balls

  • arctic animal figurines

  • jewels, gems, rocks

  • long strings of puffy white/blue yarn

  • “snow” balls

  • scoops and cups

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WEEK 3: Winter Scenes

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Craft 1: Snowflake Pipette Painting (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up coffee filters (“snowflakes”), pipettes, and a little water mixed with food coloring or washable paint inside cups. Squeeze pipette inside colored water and drop liquid onto coffee filters. The more colors you use the more they will mix. Set aside to dry and then hang around your house!

  • Day 2: This time decorate your snow flakes by using do-a-dot painters first and then defusing them with drops of water from pipette (or a spray bottle). 

 

Materials:

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  • coffee filters

  • pipettes

  • water mixed with food coloring or paint

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

  • do-a-dots 

Craft 2: Fluffy Snow Scenes (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up materials on your art table by taping contact paper sticky side up. Get your cotton balls and stick to contact paper. See what happens when you place cotton ball and then remove it!

  • Day 2: Draw a snow person, a snowflake, a polar bear or anything else you’d like on the contact paper (sharpie works well) and start decorating them with the cotton balls and/or small pieces of tissue paper.

 

Materials:

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  • clear contact paper

  • blue painter’s tape

  • cotton balls

  • white and blue tissue paper

  • sharpie (adults only)

Sensory Play: Digging in “Snow” (moon dough) (video guidance)

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Add all the materials to the sensory bin and start exploring!

 

Materials:

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  • homemade moon dough (see recipe below)

  • scoops, cups, spoons, popsicle sticks, etc

  • little cars or construction vehicles from home

 

Moon dough recipe:

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Place flour in a large bowl.  Make a small indentation in the center and pour in the oil and natural scent if using.  Mix together with your hands (kids love helping here!) until the flour sticks together when squeeze.  Add more oil if needed.  Set out cups, scoops, spoons, popsicle sticks, etc. for kids to use with the moon dough.  Enjoy!!  When done, store in airtight container.

 

Materials:

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  • tray or container

  • bowl

  • 8 cups of flour

  • 1 cup vegetable oil or baby oil

  • natural scent like mint or lavender (optional)

  • cups, scoops, spoons, popsicle sticks, etc

  • container with top or bag to save moon sand after use

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WEEK 4: Winter Shine
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Craft 1: Shiny Snowflakes (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Get three large popsicle sticks and glue them in the center to make a snowflake (see picture). Make a few snowflakes and set aside to dry.

  • Day 2: Get the popsicle stick snowflakes you made the day before and start decorating them with gem stickers and adhesive skinny paper provided (cut the paper into small pieces first). You can hang your snowflakes around the house to decorate!

 

Materials:

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  • popsicle sticks glued in snowflake shape

  • school glue

  • small pieces of self-adhesive shinny paper

  • gem stickers

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

Craft 2: Sparkly Salt Paintings (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up white construction paper on an art tray or over newspaper. Secure with blue tape if desired. Pour some blue and white paints on a paper plate or inside paint cups and enjoy painting the paper. After you are done painting set aside to dry.

  • Day 2: Squirt some glue (kids will love this!) on top of painted paper. When done sprinkle salt on top. Shake it over art tray or over a sink (some salt will come off) and set aside to dry. Your salt painting is now ready

  • Day 3: Repeat this process but this time do your painting on aluminum foil for extra shine!

 

Materials:

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  • construction paper

  • washable tempera paint: blue and white

  • paintbrushes 

  • thick kosher salt

  • school glue

  • aluminum foil

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

Sensory Play: Arctic Animals in “Snow” (moon dough) (video guidance)

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Add all the materials to the sensory bin and start exploring!

 

Materials:

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  • homemade moon dough from last week (see recipe in week 3)

  • scoops, cups, spoons, popsicle sticks, etc

  • arctic animal figurines

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WEEK 5: Winter Fun
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Craft 1: Winter Shapes (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Draw some winter shapes on white construction paper and cut them out (see ideas below). Set up your watercolor tray, a small paintbrush, and a cup with just a little water. Dip your paintbrush in the water, then on the watercolors (make them really wet for them to work best) and start painting. Set aside to dry when finished.

  • Day 2: Use stickers, do-a-dots, crayons, or markers to decorate your winter shapes.

 

Materials:

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  • white construction paper cut outs (shape ideas: snowman, snowflake, mittens, winter hat, snow boots, polar bear, pine tree)

  • watercolor trays

  • small paint brush

  • stickers, do-a-dots, crayons, or markers

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

Craft 2: Snowy Tree (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Draw some trees on the construction paper. Glue small pieces of cotton balls and cotton rounds to add snow to your tree.

  • Day 2: Use bubble wrap cutout and white paint this time to add snow to your tree – the bubblewrap paper makes the paint look like snowflakes! 

 

Materials:

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  • black or colored construction paper with tree drawn on it

  • cotton balls or cotton pads cut up into smaller pieces

  • school glue

  • bubble wrap cut out into a small piece – 2 inches x 2 inches (inside of an Amazon envelope is perfect!)

  • white paint

Sensory Play: Faux Snow (video guidance)

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Add all the materials to the sensory bin and start exploring! This faux snow is so easy to make and super fun to play with – and smells really good

 

Materials:

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  • faux snow (make by mixing 3 cups of Baking Soda and 1/2 cup white hair conditioner)

  • little cars or construction vehicles from home

  • scoops, spoons, cups, etc

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WEEK 6: Winter Prints & Patterns

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Craft 1: Prints on Playdough (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Take out the gingerbread playdough we made during our second week. Collect a few nature items and start printing! You can also get puzzle pieces, small blocks, plastic letters/numbers from home and print with those instead.

  • Day 2: How about building a snowman out of playdough this time?

 

Materials:

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  • homemade playdough

  • nature items to make prints with: short-cut pieces of fir, pine cones, small sticks, acorns

  • cookie cutters from home

  • popsicle sticks

  • other playdough tools

Craft 2: Cookie Cutter Prints (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up a paper plate with a little paint of any color (or colors) on an art tray or newspaper to protect the table. Bring out a piece of construction paper and some cookie cutters. Dip the cookie cutters on the paint and start printing. Set aside to dry.

  • Day 2: Print with pieces of fir trees instead!

 

Materials:

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  • construction paper

  • cookie cutters of different shapes & short pieces of fir tree

  • paper plate

  • washable paints of any color

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

Bonus activities: Valentine’s Day Cards & Flowers (video guidance)

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Get out construction paper, stickers, crayons, markers, etc and make Valentine cards for your loved ones! Gluing shinny paper and heart cut outs is fun too.

You can also make “flowers” with coffee filters and pipe cleaners: decorate the coffee filter with do-a-dots or water colors, pinch from center to make a flower shape, and tie a pipe cleaner for stem (or glue/tape to a possible stick). They make a lovely gift

Sensory Play: Prints & Patterns on Faux Snow (video guidance)

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Use the faux snow you made last week. Add materials suggested below and start printing!

 

Materials:

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  • faux snow (make by mixing 3 cups of Baking Soda and 1/2 cup white hair conditioner)

  • scoops, spoons, cups

  • items to print shapes and make patterns. Here are some ideas: popsicle sticks, puzzle pieces, plastic letters and numbers, straws, corks, plastic animal figurines.

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WEEK 7: Winter Snow Day

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Craft 1: Building Snow People (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Set up clear contact paper sticky side up and tape to table with blue painters tape. Start making your snow people with the cotton balls, cotton rounds, and q-tips. Feel free to take out some markers and add eyes, mouth, nose, buttons, or anything you’d like.

  • Day 2: How about using glue and dark construction paper to build your snow people this time? Or how about building some snow animals on the contact paper?

 

Materials:

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  • clear contact paper

  • cotton balls & makeup remover pads

  • q-tips

  • markers

  • glue

  • dark construction paper

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Craft 2: Marshmallow Stamping (video guidance)

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  • Day 1: Place a few large marshmallows inside a bowl on the table. Prepare a paper plate palette with your favorite colors (a little paint goes a long way!).  Place a piece of paper on an art tray or newspaper and start decorating: dip marshmallow on paint and stamp on the paper.

  • Day 2: Use white paint and dark colored construction paper to make snow flakes with your stamping.

 

Materials:

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  • construction paper

  • large marshmallows

  • paper plate

  • washable paints of any color

  • art tray or newspaper to protect table

  • apron to protect clothes (if desired)

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Sensory Play: Marshmallow Fill & Dump Play (video guidance) 

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  • Place your sensory bin (large tupperware or other container) on the floor on top of an old towel that is easy to shake afterwards.

  • Add materials suggested below and start exploring!

 

Materials:

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  • marshmallows of different sizes

  • scoops, spoons, cups

  • toilet paper rolls

  • little trucks and diggers from home if desired

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