As mentioned the other day, we read the book “Snowballs” by Lois Ehlert which led to our exploration of a cotton ball snowball blizzard and our cotton ball science. The book “Snowballs” was a great way to kick off our winter session and you can’t read this book without making at least one snowman to go with it…
Before making our puffy paint snowmen, we went back to the book “Snowballs” to take a look at the different materials that were used in the book to make a snowman. We didn’t have all the materials on hand that were in the book so we improvised and used other materials but we took a look anyway in order to get the idea of what to do with the materials on the table…
To make our white puffy paint, we added a few squirts of white Elmer’s glue to a cup of shave cream. Then we set out the puffy paint along with shoe box lids, blue paint, and other materials for the children to make their puffy paint snowmen…
The children started by painting the inside of their shoe box lids with the blue paint to give their scene a sky or outdoor looking backdrop…
After painting their boxes, the children began dabbing the puffy paint into their box to begin making their snowman shape…
Once the children finished creating their puffy paint snowman (or adding all the puffy paint in their cup) the children began adding other materials to decorate their snowman…
Every snowman began to take on its own look and style…
The children added pasta,, corn seeds, foam pieces, and pretty much anything else we had on hand to their snowmen…
All the children took their time making decisions about which items they wanted to add to their snowman and where to add it…
Some of the children really enjoyed the decorating aspect of this process so much that they just kept going and going…
And going…
Once the children completed their snowmen, they set the snowmen aside to dry. With this type of puffy paint, I let the paint dry for a couple of days to make sure it is completely dry before sending home. The puffy paint will feel light and puffy to the touch after it dries…
Although we started off making snowmen, the student who created this beautiful piece of artwork informed us that it was not a snowman but rather it was a city in the snow…
A wonderful process with some of the most beautiful snowmen, and city in the snow, I have ever seen! I say this truthfully because behind every snowman or city in the snow was a young artist who took the time to invest, create, and make decisions – and that, is beautiful.
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Hello amazing what you have going on. I work at a daycare center, I so wish to learn from you. I’m not real good with the computer, if you have ideas for me as far as lesson plans, curriculum, exploration based learning. I would appreciate any tips you can give me. Thank you so much
Thanks for this idea! We did this today at daycare with 5 children, aged 3 to 5 yrs, and it was great fun! Barbara
Yay! That is so wonderful to know that you tried the puffy paint snowmen today! Love it!
Hi there,
This is one of my favorite books! I am looking forward to trying the shaving cream glue mixture! I love the kids work. I saw this on your twitter feed!
Sarah
at
I Dream of First Grade
Hi Deborah,
Shouldn’t you mention and explain how each activity links to the Early Learning Framework if you are an educator?
Thanks,
Alison
Ha! Now that sounds like writing a college paper or a lesson plan. The great thing about Blogging is getting to share my passion and reflect on my own experiences. Sometimes I share things we have enjoyed trying. Sometimes I share teaching tips. Sometimes I share what I am learning. And sometimes I share my observations on student learning. But the framework for learning is unique to each child, each classroom, each day and I couldn’t possibly capture that for others without turning into a “cookie cutter” type experience. To fully appreciate the learning framework, it must be an experience you capture for yourself.