Songs, Rhymes and Books for Winter Months
Kate Jarrett, our favourite early years minstrel, has shared some of her favourite material for celebrating the snowy months. How about a rousing chorus of ‘Hibernation’ (sung to the tune of Alouette):
HIBERNATION SONG
Hibernation (tune: Alouette)
Chorus: Hibernation, time for hibernation
Hibernation, time to go to sleep
Where oh where is little bear?
Sleeping in his den or lair
Where is bear? Den or lair
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Chorus…
Where oh where is little frog?
Sleeping in a pond or log
Where is frog? Pond or log
Where is bear? Den or lair
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Chorus…
Where oh where is little snake?
In the mud beneath the lake
Where is snake? Beneath the lake
Where is frog? Pond or log
Where is bear? Den or lair
Chorus…
Rhymes
The Sky is Dark (Clyde Watson)
The sky is dark, there blows a storm
The fire is hot, our cider is warm
The snow is deep, the night is long
Old Father Fox, won’t you sing us a song
Winter is Cold
Winter is cold, there is snow in the sky
Squirrels gather nuts, and the wild geese fly
The fluffy red fox has his fur to keep warm
The bear’s in his cave, sleeping all through the storm
Snow on the Rooftops (Kathy Reid-Naiman)
Snow on the rooftops, snow on the trees
Snow on the green grass, snow on me
Snow on my mittens, snow on my nose
Snow on my head, and snow on my toes
Whirling, twirling, swirling down
Down and down and down and down
Winter Picture Books
(available from the Peterborough Public Library)
Bauer, Marion. Winter Dance
A fox watches other animals preparing for winter and wonders what he should do
Camper, Cathy. Ten Ways to Hear Snow
A young child helps her grandma who has lost her sight explore nature through listening.
Carlstrom, Nancy. Mama, Will It Snow Tonight?
Three mothers and their offspring – fox, hare, and human wait for the first snow of winter.
Gershaton, Phillis. When It Starts to Snow
Various animals tell what they do and where they go when it starts to snow.
Holler, Sue. Raven, Rabbit, Deer
A grandfather teaches his grandson how to identify a number of animals tracks with Ojibwemowin names.
McGrath, Jennifer. The Snow Knows
Introduces readers to animals both domestic and wild, celebrating wilderness and outdoor play.
Messner, Kate. Over and Under the Snow
Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter’s snowy landscape.
Sayre, April. Best in Snow
A photographic non-fiction picture book about the wonder of snowfall and the winter water cycle.
Stewart, Melissa. Under the Snow
A look at the amazing ways animals behave and interact with their environments on a snowy day.
Thornhill, Jan. Winter’s Coming
A young snowshoe hare hears that winter is coming – but who, or what is winter?
Yeomans, Ellen. Some Snow Is…
Celebrates all the different kinds of snow – from melting to packable!
Yolen, Jane. Owl Moon.
A father and daughter trek into the woods to see a Great Horned Owl under a winter full moon.
Keep a lookout for northward-bound ducks on open stretches of lakes and rivers; loud red squirrels trying to find a mate; owls, such as the barred owl, calling “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you”; the bird songs of the house finch and cardinal; the reappearance of raccoons, pussy willows, chipmunks, robins, grackles, and red-winged blackbirds; the sap of the maple trees starting to flow. On a warm day in late March, you may get a glimpse of a mourning cloak butterfly taking its first flight since last fall. These purple-black and yellow butterflies will often feed on sap dripping from maple trees in spring. The mourning cloak butterfly overwinters in the adult stage of the life cycle. If the weather becomes particularly warm, you may see the odd honey bee on a crocus or snowdrop in your garden. Honeybees are one of the few insects that remain active all winter. Coyotes give birth to three to seven pups in late March or April.
