Lesson 24 - Snowflake Prints on a Winter Sky

     Lesson 24 - Snowflake Prints on a Winter Sky

It is ironic to think that we had a snow day the very Friday we were to have this lesson. This lesson turned out to be part art and part science. The children learned about snowflakes, their composition and the fact that no two snowflakes are alike. We also talked about what happens to snow when the sun shines on it and when it melts.

To make our craft, first thing the children did was look at the winter sky and notice the colors. They then created their own winter sky on finger paint paper, using appropriate winter colors (dark blue, purple, white and black-- which we also mixed together to make gray-- and a bit of green). They were encouraged to paint their whole paper with as much watered down paint as possible, by using either paint brush or sponge. The paint needed to be watered down because when placed on the paper, it would create a binding agent so the children would then be able to add their pre-cut snowflakes in different shapes and sizes. These were made out of origami paper, which is very thin and blends in well when wet.

Once the snowflakes were “glued” on their paper, the children were able to paint on top of them to give them a muted effect, or use them as stencils by painting through them. Finally, the finishing touch was to use glitter to make our snowflakes sparkle like real snow.

This was a fun activity,
mainly because of the water content used in the paint, and also because the children loved to use glitter on their snowflakes to make them shine.