Winter Art and Crafts

(Pictured above a Puffy Paint Snowman my son made)

Here are some fun Arts and Crafts to do with toddlers and preschoolers.

Puff Paint Snow
Children this creative activity. Just remember to keep the shaving cream out of little eyes, it stings.
Materials:
Turquoise blue construction paper
snowman shape (you can use the Elison snowman)
collage materials
shaving cream
glue.

Description:
Have children decorate a snowman with the collage materials; wiggly eyes, buttons, foam shapes, ribbon, etc. Glue to blue paper. Mix equal parts of shaving cream and Elmer's glue. Have the children use popsicle sticks, q-tips, plastic spoons, etc. to add the mixture around their snowman and make hills of snow and snow falling from the sky. When the mixture is dry, it makes beautiful puffy snow.
Source: http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/winter.htm

Make a Winter Snowstorm
Supplies:
Liquid Starch or Glue
Brush or Q-tips
Construction paper
white rice

Directions:
Generously brush starch or glue onto paper, then sprinkle rice on the paper. Shake off excess.

Make a Winter Snow Globe
You'll need a miniature pine tree, or even a twig off an evergreen; moth crystals and empty baby food jars. Use the lid to create a winter snow scape by gluing the pine tree to the lid - you may use sculpting clay pressed into the bottom of the lid to hold the pine branch in place.

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of moth crystals into the lid (adults will need to do that for the toddlers so no toxic chemicals are touched by the child) and glue the jar into the lid. When the glue dries let the toddler give the jar a quick shake to create their own magical snowstorm.

Winter Hats
Materials:
Construction paper
paste
crayons
paint
brushes
cotton balls

Preparation:
Draw a stocking cap shape for each child on a piece of construction paper. A half circle with a cuff across the bottom and a tassel at the top is simple to do. Cut out shapes. Have the children decorate their cap shapes with crayons or paint or by pasting on scraps of coloured paper. Sponge painting. Let them each paste a cotton ball on the tassel area. While the children are working, talk about the changing weather and how hats help keep heads and ears warm. The children may make mittens to match caps.

Winter Scene
Another winter activity idea that we've done is to take a piece of construction paper, dark color works best, have the kids color a winter scene of their choice & then paint over it with a mixture of epsom salts & water (1/2 & 1/2 mixture). You can adapt this to use with collages, we do a big one for the wall. When it dries it looks snow flaky.

Snow Pictures
Paint windows using pale blue and white paint to create a beautiful winter scene.
Materials:
2 Tbsp powdered tempera paint
1 Tbsp warm water
1 tsp Joy dish washing liquid

Directions:
Measure powdered paint into a container. Mix in water thoroughly to achieve a smooth paste. Add Joy, mising completely, but gently, to avoid making paint too sudsy. Dries on window in 5 - 10 minutes. Washes off easily with a solution of water and vinegar.

Winter Scene
Another winter activity idea that can be done is to take a piece of construction paper, dark color works best, have the kids color a winter scene of their choice & then paint over it with a mixture of epsom salts & water (1/2 & 1/2 mixture). You can adapt this to use with collages, or do a big one for the wall. When it dries it looks snow flaky.
Source: http://stepbystepcc.com/winter2.html

Family Snowflake
What You Need:
Pasta
Bag
Paper

What You Do:
Send the ingredients home with your students with an explanation that they need to build a snowflake with their parents. They can use anything that they want to at their house. Remind them that all snowflakes are unique so they need to make theirs very unique. These all ways turn out really cute.
Source: http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/snow/art.htm

Popsile Stick Snowflake
http://education.preschoolrock.com/index.php/winter-preschool-education/popsicle-stick-snowflake

Snow
Have the children paint "Honey Comb" Cereal white and sprinkle with glitter. It makes a good snow flake shape.

Marble Painted Snowman
Have each preschooler marble paint 3 pieces of white construction paper. When the paint has dried, cut a large circle out of each piece of paper. Glue the circles together to create a snowman. Have preschoolers give their snowman a face with crayons, markers, and various craft supplies.
Source: http://education.preschoolrock.com/

For more Art and Craft ideas, visit
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/preschool_themes/ice/ice_art.htm