The snow angel storybook and feather outline template

[Ruthierhyme]

The snow angel written by Christine Leeson and illustrated by Jane Chapman

A beautifully festive & gentle book that explores migration, sharing and individual's needs.

It's a title that also lends itself perfectly to activities for a wall display.

The snow angel figure appears in the sky whilst two small mice, Sam and Daisy are out playing on the morning of December 25th.

They see the white outline flutter and fall to the ground. The mice, quickly at first then with whiskers a-trembling they tip toe over to see it.

They find an exhausted white snow goose lying silent and still. Eventually the angel tells the mice how it had become separated from its friends - skein during a storm and is now tired, hungry and afraid it won't catch up with them all again.

The generous young mice rush back home and return with their morning's gifts of berries and nuts to give to the bird.



Fed, the angel sleeps. As it rests the mice sweep falling snowflakes from its wings and hope that it feels better soon.

Later that evening the angel wakes, stretches its wings and returns with renewed energy to the sky.

As a thank you to the mice, soft white feathers float down as presents to the caring pair.

Mum mouse is delighted, and that night their usual straw lined nest is fluffed with the warm feathers that makes bedtime seem as cosy as sleeping in the clouds ..

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Enjoy the story with feather, nest and food activities ..
Keyword suggestions for learning ..

Birds, geese - or swans maybe
Food, rest and warmth as basic needs.
Food for energy
Friends for companionship
Taking care of each other, sharing, gift giving, receiving and thank you.
Migration, warm weather, cold weather, seasons and countries.
Flight, wingspan, preen, lift, wind, sky, soar.

Feather uses: possible considerations when purchasing feathers for crafts, writing & markmaking, decoration or as part of dress & dress-up could involve how they have been harvested or collected eg. through commercial grooming, plucking or from the ground after an individual's natural seasonal moult, cruelty free, ethical & moral expectations/feelings.

Snow goose migration video

Feather template fine motor development - cutting, snip, scissor activity, glue and glitter collage.



Making a tactile feather basket resource

Use a range of materials to explore texture: possibly card, paper, fabric, plastic and real, natural moult feathers.

Cut as many feather outlines as wished using size variations of the template above or where possible from your children's own initiated feather shapes.

Attach white drinking straws to the centre of paper feathers to add support and to make more realistic replica, representational feathers to use as writing, markmaking tools.
Serve a snack of berries and mixed fruit - dried cranberries, currants, papaya pieces, pineapple, dried and fresh apple pieces alongside small cracker biscuits, iced water and milk.

More bird outline templates

Have fun