Bringing Stories to Life: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Sometimes bringing literature to life is as simple as going outside to play. After reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, you can help bring the story to life for your child by going out into the snow (weather permitting, of course) and doing the things that Peter does in the story. Try making snow angels. Make footprints with your toes pointed in and with your toes pointed out. After walking along for a while, drag a stick along the ground as you walk. Turn back and look at the line the stick made in the snow and compare it to the prints that your feet made. Whose footprints are bigger? Can you see the pattern from the bottom of your boots or shoes in the snow? Does the stick make a thick line in the snow or a thin one? Can you draw pictures in the snow with the stick? Try building a snowman together. Make a small snowball and bring it in the house. Set it in a bowl and wait. Look at it again in an hour. Does the snowball look the same as it did when you brought it into the house? What do you think happened to the snowball that Peter put in his pocket in the story?

Making connections between real life and the stories that you read together helps children find value in reading. It also helps you make wonderful memories with your children that can last a lifetime.