Each year we study the arctic and as we go along our classroom transforms! Here are a few of the cute projects we do to make our classroom a winter wonderland…
Polar Bear Art
If you’d like to try this, I have a complete tutorial. Click here to see it and give it a try with your students!
It’s easier than it looks, I promise!
ARCTIC SCENE
Since polar bears aren’t the only ones who live in the arctic, we also made other arctic animals and glued them onto a long sheet of black paper. You can see they all tried to copy my poster in the middle with their own versions.
Snowflakes
We experimented each day with some glitter-glue, and then some white glue with glitter sprinkled on top, both of which turned out to be beautiful. It was a fun surprise each morning to see how it looked after drying over night.
The second kind of snowflakes we made were the large paper snowflakes hanging in the picture above.
I’ve been doing these ones for years, but there’s a tutorial on how to make them HERE.
We had our big buddies (grade 4) help us the first time, and after that everyone was obsessed with making them. Even the grade ones could make them independently! We now have twice as many hanging from the ceiling as we did when I took this picture.
If you like working with dough, then this one is for you. The combination of ingredients makes a lovely soft and delicate dough. It needs to be worked to make it pliable, but once warm it’s very soft. Once dry, it’s nice to draw on with markers or pencil crayon. **Note: Keep these ones small because they can be brittle and crack. You will find a tutorial HERE.
LETTERS TO SANTA
Do you write to Santa? Our student can ask for anything they want, but I require them to be polite and give Santa a compliment first, and ask a question too, before launching into their wish list.
You can get these templates for free HERE.
Or you can join us in spreading the Christmas Kindness with this fun activity for school or even to send home over the holidays this winter!
You can read more about Winter and Christmas activities, art and celebrations around the world by clicking HERE. You’ll also find this cute freebie – trim Santa’s beard for each act of kindness this season!
If you’d like to see more step-by-step photo tutorials, you can choose from these huge collections of art lessons for elementary classrooms. Each has lots of photos, a teacher script to read aloud to students, and literacy components to deepen thinking and expression through writing. CLICK HERE to take a peek!
If you’re having trouble finding what you need for math, literacy or clip art, you can grab this handy Clickable Catalogue for everything available in my TPT store – a big time saver! Tuck it away for when you need it!
Click here to download the clickable resource list to keep for later
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I can't wait until winter…thanks for sharing!
Julie
The polar bears and posters are absolutely amazing! Wow! Your room looks beautiful!
Thank you, Julie! Our arctic theme goes so well with Christmas that we don't have much more to do other than making a Christmas tree!
: )
Sandy – they reminded me of the technique you used for your lovely fruit bowl art!
I love all of that winter art! As much as I don't want to see the warm weather go, I do love the snow flakes and being cozy. 🙂 The glue flakes are so neat! So are your 3D ones! I am going to try them this weekend!
Carolyn
Those animals are amazing! The polar bears and reindeer are just incredible!
Oh good! Let me know how it goes!
Wow! I love it! I'm sure your students had a blast making all of it.
Aimee
http://www.primarily-speaking.blogspot.com/2013/11/five-for-friday-nov-15-2013-and-freebie.html
Hi Susanna!
I just stumbled across this post from last year – I remember seeing these adorable polar bears and loved them! Do you have a lesson for them by any chance? I know you said you got the idea from somewhere else. I'd love to try them, but I'm not that artistic! If you can help feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thanks!
~Erin
Mrs. Beattie's Classroom