Make a Winter Story Box

Real objects used to dress a snowman make this story box come alive.

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Are you looking for a fun way to brighten up the cold winter days? All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Barbara Lavallee is a wonderful book to read aloud and it lends itself especially well to being made into a story box.

Story boxes are a way to bring books to life for young children who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities. Instead of relying on illustrations to support the story, story boxes use real objects and tangible symbols to help to make the meaning clear. As the story is told, children can touch and experience the items described in the story, such as a carrot, bottle caps, a scarf, mittens, walnuts, and a fanny pack. Use supervision with small items that might pose a choking hazard.

In addition, the story uses numbers, and sizes of snowballs, so this is a great way to reinforce counting and concepts of size.

Supplies

• Items mentioned in the story (such as a hat, a carrot, two bottle caps, a scarf, mittens, earmuffs, walnuts, and a fanny pack
  
• A box or bag in which to store the items
• All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle
  

Directions

• Gather all items needed for the story and put them in your box or bag. You can even cut snowflakes out of paper for the snow.
• Read the story out loud and invite your child to touch and examine the item mentioned in the story as you pull it out of the box.
  
• Talk about how you use each item. Describe their colors and textures. Try on the mittens or scarf and explain when and why you wear this clothing.
• Use inflection in your voice to help animate the story. Some phrases are italicized for emphasis, like “billions of snowflakes.” “Except” and “but” are occasionally the last word on a page to create suspense as you read the story.
  

More Ideas

• Practice making balls out of clay or play dough in different sizes. Make a snowman with the balls.
• Make snowflakes out of clay, paper or flannel and count them. Use glittery or metallic paper to make the snowflakes sparkle and stand out.
• Using real snow, make snowballs of different sizes. You can bring the snow into your house in a bowl or on a tray so it’s easy for your child to access from the table or their feeding tray. You can freeze snow for later use.

Adapted from “Story Box for ‘All You Need for a Snowman’” by Charlotte Cushman, Paths to Literacy