Winter Snowglobe Project for Preschools
Making a Fun Winter-Themed Project with Preschool Aged Children
Dec 7, 2008
This lesson plan can easily connect season, weather, and holiday themes with simple art process activities. Using paper, glue, and the additional art materials suggested, young children can create unique and amazing pieces of art. Engage preschoolers minds, senses, and artistic abilities in this fun snowglobe project!
Lesson Objectives
- Increase knowledge of seasons and weather through observation and discussion.
- Explore a variety of artistic materials and processes.
- Discover and use new artistic vocabulary such as color, shape, line, pattern, and texture.
- Increase self-regulation skills during both art making processes and clean-up activities.
- Develop sequencing and step following skills.
Grade Level
Preschool/ Early Childhood Classroom
Materials
- Construction paper circles in a variety of colors, except white
- Clear acetate circles, or clear plastic wrap
- Tempera paints and brushes
- Glue mixed with a small amount of water
- Glitter- opal, white, and/or silver colors
Snowglobe Art Process Steps
Pre-planning can begin with a classroom discussion of weather, seasons, and art. Ask the children questions such as, "What colors might you see in the winter?", or "How does the outside look different in the winter in comparison to other seasons?". If possible take the class outside for a sensory viewing experience. Also consider reading winter themed books. Point out the illustrations to the children for use as creative winter inspiration.
Another important pre-planning step is to ready the materials. Using 8 X 11 sheets of construction paper, cut out large circles. Avoid using plain white paper. Snow will not show up well. Trace the circles onto clear acetate, and cut those out too. If the children are developmentally ready, they can be asked to trace and cut out the paper circles. If acetate is not readily available, clear plastic wrap can be substituted. This does not need to be cut in circles. Torn off sheets can be wrapped around the construction paper later.
Before the children begin working, set out all needed materials on a workspace table. This includes Tempera paints and brushes of different sizes. Use a variety of colors, but ensure that white (the color of snow) is included. It is advisable to use butcher paper or a plastic sheet on top of the tables to assist with any mess created.
Next begin the project by handing out the paper circles. Invite the class to paint winter weather scenes on the circles. Clean up the paint and brushes, and allow time for the paint to dry.
Once dry, you may want to wait for the next day, pass out paint brushes, glitter and glue. Use school glue in a container or paper cups mixed with a small amount of water. This will help it spread. Note that if you use too much water it will not stick as well. Ask the children to use the paint brushes and glue mixture to cover the entire paper circle painting. Next, have the children sprinkle glitter over parts of their paintings. Immediately cover with the acetate circle or wrap with plastic wrap.
Conclusion and Lesson Wrap-up
Have a snowglobe show and share. Ask the children to explain how they made their snowglobes, and why they chose certain colors. Use this time to reinforce vocabulary words that connect to this lesson. Ideas include: weather, snow, winter, circle, or color.
Enrichment Activities and Alternatives
Instead of giving your class many different paint colors, use the primary colors and white. This creates a nice color mixing lesson. Conversely, if you do not have the time or materials to paint in the classroom markers, crayons, or collage can be substituted.
Using this activity within the preschool classroom can present the opportunity for learning on many different levels. Weather, seasons, and artistic process/elements are all included in this fun early childhood project.
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