Snowman Village

Here is a peek at the Snowman Village project.  I love the diversity of their villages.   I love providing a palette of choices.  In this project the children:

• embellished their houses with markers and watercolor paints
• painted the cardboard "earth" with snow
• created snow "people" out of white foam clay (pipecleaners and markers for details)
• pompoms, sticks and other elements were provided for fun

What I love about creating little villages and habitats is how much it captures the hearts and minds of the children.  It is a hushed room while these little universes are being created.

Afterwards, I like to have the children create a little story to go along with the village.  These villages hold the potential for many stories. . . 

Red Birds in Snow

This is an art project I did at the local museum.  I used the extra large black construction paper (24 x 36) which gave it such a "wow" factor.  We painted this in three stages:

1. Drew and painted the bird.  Let it dry. (Used oil pastels to draw the bird.)
1. Drawing Instructions:
• Draw a large oval for the body.
• Draw a circle for the head.
• Make a small triangle for the beak.
• Make an oval with a tip for the wing.
• Add a tail feather if you wish.
• Add legs.
• Draw a baseline for the ground.
2. Painted the snow using q-tips and brushes.  Let it dry.
3. Added little details with oil pastels.  (The beak, eyes, wing texture, and designs.)

This student wanted to add clouds to her painting.

Pattern Owls

 

I love collage work.  For this project I gathered some of my old scrapbook papers for the children to make their pattern owls.  I made tracers out of old file folders as well.  Here's how I made the tracers:

1 large oval tracer for the body  (I had pre-cut construction paper rectangles for tracing the body)
1 small circle tracer for eyes (cut 2)
1 small triangle tracer for ears (cut 2)
1 triangle tracer for beak

I let the children design their own feet for the owls.
We tore pieces of brown construction paper for the tree branches where the owl might be sitting.

Polar Bears in Snow

This was such a fun painting project.  I ordered the largest size construction paper (24 x 36) in pale blue.   This gave it the "wow" factor.  I love large paintings!  We drew the bears on the paper before painting.  I gave the children crayons.

Step One:  I had the children draw a half moon shape for the head of the bear. I told them to make it a big half circle.  We practiced with our finger "pencil" first on the paper.

Step Two: Next, we drew the ears of the bear - half circles or ovals.

Step Three:  Finally, we drew two dot eyes, an upside down triangle nose with a J shape coming down from the nose.  Then a backwards J to make the other side.

Paint the bear white first.  Let dry.

Paint the eyes and nose.  Let dry. 

 Paint the storm with a q-tip.  Done! 

TIP:  I taught the children to "dip, tap, paint."  Dip the brush into the paint, tap it against the side of the paint pot, and paint.  Otherwise - you will have drips all over your paintings! 

I created a little song that I will share later this week!

Snowball Village

Last week I taught two classes for a new local museum.  My featured projects for both days - little habitats.   I have rarely seen a child who does not adore the task of creating a miniature world.  There is this amazing ability of a little world to pull the storyteller out of children.  I love to have the children write stories about their villages.  It is a rich and wonderful process.

In my kindergarten - I set up making these during Work Stations.  I would often put these in my Literacy Station.   The children would create the village and then write a story to go along with it.

Materials:

cake boards (ask your local bakery for a donation or purchase at Michael's)
foam snowflake stickers (on sale now 75% off at Michael's)
small white bags (Michael's)
construction paper
white card board
markers
white foam clay (use 40% off coupon at Michael's)

Snow paint: 1 squirt of shaving cream, 1 squeeze of white paint,  1 squeeze of school glue (mix together in dixie cup)

Preparation:  I prepare the bag houses by stuffing them with a bit of newpaper and stapling on a construction paper roof.

 STEP ONE: With markers, decorate your houses.  Add windows, doors, and more!

(Tip:  These are art houses - be creative!)

 Decorate all of your houses.

 STEP TWO & THREE:

Glue the houses on your board where you would like them to be.  (Important!  Use the side that is the basic brown cardboard - so the paint will stick.)

Paint the ground with "white snow paint."

 STEP FOUR:  Make snow people!   Roll three balls of foam clay on top of each other!  Easy peasy.

 STEP FIVE:  Put snowflake stickers where you would like on your board.  They make great pathways.

Add pinecones and sticks for extra detailing if desired.

(I came around with my glue gun and did the gluing of the bigger objects.)

 STEP SIX:  Add faces and details on your snow people with markers.

(I found the coolest glitter balls at Michael's in the Christmas decorations on sale.)

 STEP SEVEN:  Draw people for your snow village on white card stock.  Cut out and fold down the bottom to make a tab.  Glue to board.  

STEP EIGHT:  Name your village.

"Snowball Village"

Write a story about your village:

"Once upon a time there were two boys - me and my brother.  We had a snowball fight.  The snowball hit my brother Chris.  He cried."

Here is more inspiration on Snow Village constructions:  Snow Village from Nurture Store

Winter Dens for Bears

Make a hibernating bear den is one of the most beloved activities in the kindergarten.  See this post from last year:  Bear Dens.    This year I changed it up a bit and had the child glue the brown bag upside down on the paper plate.  I teach the children to use "tabbing" which is simply cutting slits to make a folded tab to glue down.  We use glue sticks.

 Each child cut their own opening in the bag.   This year I was given a huge bag of pine cones.  So we added trees!  I had a parent volunteer hot glue the pine cones on to the plate for us - the children chose their "trees" and told her where to glue it.

 The children added "snow" to the trees and the den.  (make snow by filling a dixie cup with shaving cream, add one good squeeze of white paint and one squeeze of glue.  Mix with a popsicle stick.)

 A dixie cup of snow paint goes a long ways.

 Do you see the bear inside the den?  Each child drew their own bear (or bears).

 This bear is not yet in his den. . .

Busy making bears!

Notice the food sources?  This student added a pond with fresh fish and berries. . . just in case her bear was awaken from his deep hibernation! 

Snow People Homework

I love family art projects!  Let's be clear - some children do the work and for other families the child does very little of the work.  So you might ask - why send it home?  I have been doing family art projects for many, many years.  One of the benefits I see is parent/child engagement.  It is a fun and engaging way for parents to work with their children.  It is often less stressful than regular homework and I have heard back over and over again how much the family enjoys it.  So I make it very clear - this is a "family" art project!!  I have included downloads for you with a snow person template and an example of a letter to send out. 

Snowman Template

Snow People Homework

Ideas for Winter Unit

Sitting on the couch at home,  I snuggled into the possibility of my next unit - Winter and the story "The Mitten."  Here are a few ideas I found:

Hibernation Art Piece 

I love this!  I think the kinders would adore doing this!

From: http://overallsuccess.net/monthlyideas-Jan_overallsuccess.htm

Sorting Winter Animals 

This is a great science center idea.

From: http://www.abcand123learning.com/2011/01/animals-in-snow.html

Winter Play Scape!  Love this!  So inspiring!

From: http://shareandremember.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-winter-in-woods.html

 Iceberg Play Scape!  What a rocking idea!

From: http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/2011/01/iceberg-activity.html

Another Iceberg Play Scape!  Love this!  Ooo, how I love painting rocks. . . 

From: http://www.playbasedlearning.com.au/2011/03/winter-wonderland/

Here are a few ideas that I did last year:

Make a Den for your Hibernating Bears!

From: http://www.fairydustteaching.blogspot.com/2011/01/hibernating-bear-dens.html

Love bring the snow storm to the dollhouse!

From: http://www.fairydustteaching.blogspot.com/2011/01/winter-sparkle-in-block-play-and.html