Winter Theme Children's Art Project

Early Literacy Preschool Book Activity

Nov 12, 2009 Erica Loop

Create a winter themed holiday art project based on a book by the beloved children's author Eric Carle. This preschool lesson plan has ties to literacy, math, and nature.

Connecting literature and art is a great way to foster the young child’s growing cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic development. This early childhood art lesson plan utilizes Eric Carle’s book Dream Snow [Philomel Books, 2000] as the basis for a wintery multimedia project.

Preschool Snow Art Lesson Objectives

• Explore art materials and processes.
• Develop fine motor skills.
• Build early literacy skills (such as letter and sound recognition). Increase vocabulary.
• Develop basic math skills such as number recognition and counting.
• Follow steps in a sequence.
• Recognize and name a variety of colors and shapes.
• Discover facets of the seasons/environment.

Age/ Grade Level

This art lesson can be used with children ages three and up. Try adapting it for the developmental needs of younger or older children.

Materials Needed to Create Winter Art

• The book Dream Snow by Eric Carle
• Construction paper
• Children’s scissors
• White modeling clay or modeling compound
• Clear acetate
• Masking tape
• Glue sticks
• Tissue paper
• Oil pastels or crayons (depending on the age of the children)

Steps to Create Winter Snow Art

Pre-activity

Begin by reading the book to the children. Dream Snow is a great winter book that also contains fantastic imagery, numbers and counting, animals, and a Christmas holiday theme. Additionally, this book has interesting clear snow covered pages that allow for a peek-a-boo effect.

As the book is read to the children, ask them to look at the illustrations. Take time to talk about what is viewed. It may be helpful to ask what colors are seen and what shapes make up the person and animals in the book.

The primary subject of this activity will be an animal. Ask each child to name the animal that he or she has selected to create. Keep in mind that once drawn these animals may look more like shapes and lines than realistic creatures.

Preparing

Prepare the materials before starting this art activity. This will help to facilitate an orderly and organized art making time. Set out the construction paper (one per child), oil pastels/crayons, tissue paper, glue, and scissors on a washable work space. Ready the modeling clay and acetate, but do not place them on the work space until they are needed.

Process Steps

This project will result in wintery snow covered images similar to those found in the book. Look to Dream Snow for examples.

1. Ask the children to draw an animal (by combining shapes) with the crayons or oil pastels. Illustrations from the book should be used for inspiration.
2. Add a collage effect by inviting the children to tear or cut the tissue paper and glue it onto the animals or background. The children can also color on top of the tissue paper with the crayons or oil pastels.
3. Give each child a clear sheet of acetate. Acetate can have sharp corners as compared to paper. Make sure to explain safe handling instructions clearly, supervise the children closely, and only give this material to children who can appropriately handle it.
4. Ask the children to create a snow covering for the animal on the acetate. The children can pull of pieces of white clay or compound and then stretch and mold it to fit. Press the clay firmly onto the acetate to stick. If the clay does not stick, use a layer of glue first.
5. Place the acetate over the construction paper animal drawing/collage. T
6. ape at the top.

Snow Art Activity Lesson Wrap Up

Read the book Dream Snow again after the project has been finished. Have each child show his or her artwork and discuss how it was created. Ask the children to name the animals, shapes, and colors used.

Preschool Enrichment Activities

There are multiple classroom connections that can be made with this lesson plan. Examples include:

• Holiday/Christmas: Use this activity as part of a holiday theme.
• Math: The counting in the book can be integrated into a math lesson. Ask the children to draw more than one animal, and then have them count.
• Nature/Environment: Take a field trip outdoors to compare the current season and weather to what has been created. Ask the children how the local environment is similar and different from the environment in the book.
• Winter Mural: Use this art activity as a warm up for a larger project. Invite all class members to participate in a large winter mural.

Creating a project based on a children’s book is a simple way to connect literacy and art. Start by reading and discussing the book, and then move onto the creative art making. Use this project alone or as part of a larger theme such as Christmas/holiday, the environment, or nature.

The copyright of the article Winter Theme Children's Art Project in Day Care is owned by Erica Loop. Permission to republish Winter Theme Children's Art Project in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Snow and Animals

Art Materials

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