Snow Day Slush is a fun activity to do in the classroom or at home as you wish for and prepare for a Snow Day! There is a fun poem to read aloud, a recipe for Snow Day Slush, plus a variety of literacy and math activities that go along with it to engage your students or children. It’s perfect for the kindergarten, first grade, or second grade classroom…and any teacher who wants their kiddos to join in the excitement of wishing for a snow day!

Children’s Books About Snow

In my time in the classroom, I always felt like starting a lesson with a book was the way to go. It was RARE that my kids weren’t engaged just by listening to a book. Nothing fancy. Just the simplicity of reading a story. Sure, I’d change my voice to accompany the character talking or stop when I came across a novel vocabulary word, but for the most part just reading was enough!

These are some of my favorite books about snow and winter. My own children love to read them, too, so I can say they’re ‘kid-approved’ with confidence!

If you want to rev up your read-aloud a bit, I also have companion packs available for each of the books shared above. They are available for purchase individually or as a bundle. They’re all comprehensive and excellent for teaching ELA skills, new vocab, and are all standards-aligned!

What is Snow Day Slush?

Have you heard of Jitter Juice before? It’s a recipe I created along with a poem to ease back-to-school jitters! Snow Day Slush is like the winter version of Jitter Juice except the premise is to drink it and wish for a snow day!

Snow Day Chart

After reading a book to my class, we would complete a chart together. We’d answer the question: What would you do on a snow day? This whole-group activity would activate prior knowledge and get their thinking going. You could also label it Snow Day Activities or Things to do in the Snow. With younger students, shared pen writing would work well and older students could write their responses themselves.

Snow Day Slush Poem

Next, we’d read the Snow Day Slush poem. Because it is copyrighted I cannot share it here. It is found for personal use here, though!

I’d also provide students with a copy for their poetry journals. Within the poem, we’d locate rhyming words, underline sight words, and highlight wintry words found throughout.

Create a recipe

Before I shared the real recipe for the slushy drink, I’d have the students imagine what they think it might be made of. Younger students can draw their ideas and older students can list step-by-step instructions and ingredients.

Color a cup wrapper

Just for fun, I’d also have the kiddos make their own cup wrappers! You can tape or glue them to clear, plastic cups.

Make Snow Day Slush!

Now, for the fun part. Whip up a batch of Snow Day Slush so your students can try it for themselves! It uses very simple, inexpensive ingredients. Add some sprinkles for extra pizazz, of course!

Graphing Activity

Once everyone has had a chance to sample this delicious treat, complete a simple math activity. You could create a whole group chart where they can graph their responses. Then, they can complete a corresponding activity sheet.

Extension Activity

I like to tie everything up with a writing activity. This is a fun way to close out the lesson and provide students a way to put their thoughts on paper. It could also follow-up the whole group chart mentioned earlier.

Purchase for my classroom

All of the above activities are for sale in my TpT shop! You can search ‘snow day slush’ or simply click HERE to snag these printables – including the poem – today!

I hope you enjoyed this activity! If you do it in your classroom, I’d love the chance to take a peek! Tag me on Instagram @babblingabby!