Snowflakes in Florida

Yes, we have snowflakes in Florida! Because this crazy art teacher believes that January in Florida is really, really cold! Therefore, I will make PAPER snowflakes with my students! First, I had to explain to my students that winter is 3 months long and that we can do snow art after Christmas. They can be so silly!

The book Robert's Snowflakes is a beautiful collection of illustrated snowflakes that was published with the proceeds going towards a cure for cancer.

It is quite obvious looking through this book that NO TWO snowflakes are the same! And I'm not sure I could pick a favorite....... 

My focus for this lesson was composition in art. Using the snowflake shape gave students the opportunity to really plan out what they would do. Should they consider designing the points of the snowflake differently, bring the shape of the points into play or do a design in the center and decorate the points?

     

I told students they should think about how they could make a personal connection to their artwork. 

And it didn't need to be wintery, after all we are in Florida.

   

  

 

I did this with my 2nd and 3rd graders, spread out over two class sessions. They used colored pencils. And if there was time, when students finished, they got to make SNOWFLAKES! A donation of coffee filters were perfect for this. Would you believe there were children who never made a snowflake before?

   

Students really enjoyed making their snowflakes. And I really enjoyed seeing them making personal connections to their art and hearing what inspired them.

Other snow art lessons I've done include 2D and 3D snowmen, giant snowflakes. My first display at the county fair had a winter theme.

 

What's your favorite winter art projects? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading!