Winter is the perfect time to snuggle up under a blanket with a hot cup of tea or mug of cocoa and read some poetry. Winter poems often have the most wonderful sounds to them, mirroring the swish of snowflakes and the jingling of bells. Take a moment during your teatime this week to be quiet and listen. Hear the whisper of a snowflake settling on your glove, the crunch of ice under your boots, the tap of icicles melting onto the back porch on a bright blue winter afternoon.
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A classic winter poem that captures these hushed winter sounds is Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Read it aloud during your poetry teatime.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
There’s a magic to the world in the winter that Frost’s poetry captures so perfectly. And there’s more magic to come with the treats and activities listed below!
Winter Treats
- Snow ice cream is a simple and delicious treat. Just grab some snow, vanilla flavoring, milk, salt, and sugar. Find the recipe from Ali on Gimme Some Oven.
- Gingerbread cookies: What’s the winter season without a good gingerbread cookie recipe? Take turns to cut out whimsical dresses and boots from the gingerbread dough! From Sally’s Baking Addiction.
- Peppermint Bark Candy Cane Hearts: Need to use up your candy canes? This treat is the perfect combination of sweet and minty! Check out the recipe on Sweet and Crunchy Blog.
- Chocolate “Pine Cones”: Check out this brilliant idea for a simple, no-bake treat that looks exactly like a pine cone! Recipe on the Frugal Momeh.
Winter Decorations
- Snowy table: As always, teatime is the perfect chance to use what nature has already provided. Go for a walk (be sure to bundle up!) and bring in pine cones, pine boughs, holly branches, or any other greens or branches you can find. Arrange them with cotton balls or paint the tips with white paint if you’d like to get the look of a snowy wonderland on your table!
- Paper snowflakes: Making paper snowflakes is fun, simple, and surprising! All you need is paper and scissors (and a careful eye for scissors in the hands of young children!). Use this guide from Aunt Annie’s Crafts to get you started making snowflakes. Then, once you have a collection, you can tape them to windows, string them up on ribbons or twine to make chains, tape them together as a table runner, and more!
- Candlelight tea: what better time than winter to try a candlelight tea? The soft glow of candles, especially in the early darkness of winter, makes the teatime experience feel especially magical.
Winter Activities
- Molasses snow candy: Do you remember reading Little House on the Prairie and wanting to eat the molasses snow candy the Ingalls children made? You’ll need to wait for the next snowfall, and then you can try this delicious treat! Directions: How Stuff Works
- Bentley Snow Crystal Collection: Snowflakes are each unique, and what better way to demonstrate that than looking at the work of the first photographer to capture snowflakes? Check out the amazing snowflake images on the New York Heritage Digital Collections website.
- Candy Cane Hunt: Do you have candy canes spilling out of all the nooks and crannies of your house? Put them to good use with a candy cane hunt! Hide candy canes around the house and have the kids search for them. If you have nice weather, you can move the hunt outdoors--it’s a lot of fun to try to find hiding places for candy canes on bare winter branches! Inspiration: This treasure hunt on There’s Just One Mommy
- Graham Cracker “Gingerbread House”: For a quick and easy gingerbread house, use graham crackers and icing with M&Ms or other small candies as decoration to construct a gingerbread house. Be sure to add plenty of details! Inspiration: Winter Party ideas on Suburban Simplicity
- Create-your-own Snowman: Go for a nature walk and collect twigs, pine needles, berries, pebbles, or whatever you can find. If the weather outside is frightful, look for household supplies such as buttons, paper clips, and other small objects lying around. Use cups or paper plates to create a snowman-shaped outline, then give your snowman arms, buttons, eyes, a smile, and clothes using the objects you’ve collected! Once each person is done creating a snowman, don’t forget to give it a name!
Winter-Themed Poetry Books
Winter Eyes, by Douglas Florian
Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold, by Joyce Sidman
Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children, by Jane Yolen
It’s Snowing, It’s Snowing!: Winter Poems, by Jack Prelutsky
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost
Snow, by Cynthia Rylant
Snow, by P.D. Eastman
Snow Music, by Lynne Rae Perkins
Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner
Also check out the Poetry Foundation’s list of snow poems.
