Small children need a variety of activities, especially in a winter camp. Outdoor winter play is energizing, but nursery children also get tired, wet and cold. Begin planning a winter camp for small children by outlining each day.
Think about an introductory activity for the day. This might be a circle time with a special winter song or story. This is a time for children to get comfortable with their caregivers and greet one another.
Plan outdoor activity times. Have at least one outdoor time in the morning and one in the afternoon. Many child care centers have specific regulations for outdoor time and also have temperature restrictions for safe outdoor play. Check on these regulations. Plan time into the schedule for putting on and removing wet and cold weather gear.
Plan at least two snack times and time for lunch. Outdoor and active play makes children hungry. Think about warm, filling snacks that are easy to make. Warm milk is one easy and nutritious winter snack.
Design indoor crafts and activities that relate to planned outdoor activities. These might include making snowflakes out of paper or painting with ice cubes that contain paint. Create some times for free play with winter-related stories and materials and design stations that relate to these stories and materials. For example, you might put out a reading and listening station with puppets and clothing based on Jan Brett's story The Mitten.
Plan for a quick cleanup time at the end of the day, leading into a closing ritual, song or story for the children that lets them know it is time to go home.
When you plan outdoor activities for winter camps, make sure that you and the children come prepared for the weather. Think about what you will do if it is raining, snowing or icy. Have a diverse group of activities that can be done in just about any kind of weather.
In the snow, make snow angels, snow forts and snowmen. There are snowball scoops that help children make miniature snowballs. Add food coloring to the snow and see what happens. Look for tracks in the snow and speculate about the animals that may have made them.
On icy days, gather icicles and arrange them in structures like blocks. Make a miniature pond in a cardboard box. Search for ice and icy patterns. Look for leaves that have hoarfrost and blow on it to melt the ice.
When there is sleet or rain, go on a sleet puddle stomp. Make sure the children wear good rain boots and rain pants. Have cups to make pretend drinks out of sleet.
There are many lovely winter-related activities that can be completed in the cozy indoors. Create a stash of winter books like "The Icicle" by Valery Voskoboinikov, "The Mitten" by Jan Brett and "Bear Snores On" by Karma Wilson.
Watch what animals do in the winter. There are many wonderful winter-related web cams online. Take a look at a hibernating bear or a sleeping fox in her den. Pretend to be these animals and have animal-related dress-up clothes for the children.
Make winter food, like cocoa and warm milk. Eat a taste of snow, or make snow taffy by pouring a small amount of syrup on top of clean snow.
Create winter-inspired crafts. Build icicles out of clay and paint them white. Make a den for an animal out of boxes, shredded paper and other free-form craft supplies. Have the children scribble on white paper with a white pastel or crayon to draw a camouflaged animal in the snow and then brush a paint brush and some light tempera paint over the animal to reveal it.
Creating a successful winter camp for small children is not always easy, but winter can be a wonderful time to explore the outdoors. Make sure that children come with a change of clothes and are dressed for the weather and ensure there are ample times for free play, rest time and snacks. Bring the outdoors in as well, with winter stories and craft activities. Be diverse and flexible and you can have a great experience running a winter camp for small children.