Be sure to check out "Let it Snow" from Dec 25 2010 -- Books to Sing.
I picked up 2" wooden cubes at my local crafts store and painted them white. These cubes are a bit more expensive but the size makes them much more engaging to roll and play with. However, you can also purchase smaller bags of 1" cubes for about $3. On each of the painted cubes, I used a black marker to create simple stick notation on each of the 6 sides of the cubes. Since I plan on using this with lower grade levels, I used quarter note, eighth note and quarter rests. I put 2 of each on each cube. I also purchased a plastic cup and placed snowflake stickers on it to create a winter "shaker" cup for the 1" cubes that I created. A larger bucket or basket can be used for the larger cubes.
After reading through (or singing) the story, the children find the repeated phrase, "But then . . . " As the children read or sing the next 2 phrases, allow a child to shake and roll the snowflake cubes out and line them up. When the children reach the part of the story where they respond, "Let it snow!" the child with the cubes would then read and/or perform the rhythm pattern they created.
Once the rhythm performance is complete, the cubes are returned to the cup or basket and the story continues. Have fun with this exciting winter activity.
Extension: To make this activity engaging, create a set of cubes with winter stickers. By chosing stickers with snowflakes and icicles, the children experience rhythms with ti-ti and tiki-ti. I also found stickers of polar bears and penguins. There were many other sticker options that would allow different rhythmic patterns.
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