This adorable art project integrates color theory, science and the joy of winter. Students will create a snowman in the cold weather and a melting snowman in the sunshine. This project covers Common Core Standards for Science and Language Arts for grades K-1 which can be found at the end of the lesson.
Grade Level
Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st grade. This project was created by Transitional Kindergarten students.
Objective for Melting Snowman Art
Students will paint cool colors and warm colors and illustrate a snowman in each environment.
Time
2 – 30 min lessons
Materials
- Black Sharpie Marker – Sharpie Permanent Marker, Fine Point, Black, Pack of 5
- (Black, White, Orange) – Crayola Washable Kids Paint Set, 10 Count
- 9×12 Watercolor paper – Canson (100510941) XL Series Watercolor Pad, 9″ x 12″, Fold-Over Cover, 30 Sheets
- Brushes – Acrylic Paint Brush Set, 1 Packs / 10 pcs Nylon Hair Brushes for All Purpose Oil Watercolor Painting Artist Professional Kits
- Liquid Water Colors – Sargent Art 22-6010 10-Count 8-Ounce Watercolor Magic Set
- Or this mini version for homeschooling – Sargent Art 22-6210 10-Count 4-Ounce Watercolor Magic
- Snowflake stamps – DECORA 6 Pieces Snowflake Floral Wooden Rubber Stamps for Card Making Scrapbooking and Crafts
- White stamp pad – Lsushine Craft Ink Pad Stamps Partner Diy Color,15 Color Craft Ink Pad for Stamps, Paper, Wood Fabric (pack of 15)
- Royal Blue Paper – Tru-Ray Construction Paper, Blue, 12″ x 18″, 50 Sheets
- White paint (I do not recommend washable paint for this as the paint blurs with the watercolor paint as you can see in the yellow area of my example) – Sargent Art 24-2496 16-Ounce Acrylic Paint, White
- Orange and blue marker or oil pastel
- Glue Stick
- Watercolor paper
Inspiration/Artist
I was inspired to make this Melting Snowman project from a posting by Pam Smader: Click Here
Instruction with Questions
First
Read the book, “Snowman – Cold = Puddle: Spring Equations” by Laura Purdie Salas. This is a wonderful age appropriate story that combines poems, math and science.
Second
Show them this Slide Deck that I created that shows warm and cool colors. The key here is that things in nature help inform what is cool and what is warm. Naturally the sun is hot and we use red, yellow and orange to illustrate it when we draw or paint it. That is why these are called warm colors. Similarly, water and grass are cool things, and so we associate blues and greens and purple colors with them. Thus, these are cool colors.
Depending on your time allotment, I also recommend using this resource from Teachers Pay Teachers that supports the concepts of Warm and Cool Colors. (It’s only $1 as of this posting)
Third
Now that students have an understanding of warm and cool colors and what happens to Snowmen when it is cold vs. when it is hot, it is time to create!
Prepare two 6″ squares using Watercolor paper per student. At a center, I have students paint using blue and purple watercolors. At another center, they use red, yellow and orange. I remind them not to paint in one spot over and over. This way each color gets a turn to show off their beauty.
Fourth
After the paint dries, on a different day, I help the students one at a time to use white paint and their finger to make a three level snowman on the cool color side, and a messy puddle on the warm color side.
Fifth
On the white board discuss what a snowman looks like. Draw one as a class. Include stick arms, a hat, button eyes, a carrot nose, a dotted mouth and three buttons down the middle. For fun add a scarf.
Next to the snowman show the melted area by drawing a blob. Ask the students to recall which items were added to the snowman and put them in random areas of the blob. They giggle and think this is hilarious.
Then, using sharpies and markers or oil pastels, students make their warm and cool snowmen.
Sixth
Glue down their masterpieces on a large piece of 12×18 Blue Construction paper. Use the snowflake stamps and have students decorate the falling snow around on the remaining blue areas. I think it is fascinating to see which students do this methodically and strategically and which ones go for it with gusto and improvisation.
Check out these finished Melting Snowman art pieces!
Common Core Standards for Melting Snowman Art
Kindergarten – Science
Physical Sciences
- Properties of materials can be observed, measured, and predicted.
a. Students know objects can be described in terms of the materials they are made of(e.g., clay, cloth, paper) and their physical properties (e.g., color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, attraction to magnets, floating, sinking).
b. Students know water can be a liquid or a solid and can be made to change back and forth from one form to the other.
Earth Sciences
3. Earth is composed of land, air, and water.
b. Students know changes in weather occur from day to day and across seasons, affecting Earth and its inhabitants.
Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
a. Observe common objects by using the five senses.
b. Describe the properties of common objects.
c. Describe the relative position of objects by using one reference (e.g., above or below).
d. Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight).
e. Communicate observations orally and through drawings.
Grade 1 – Science
Physical Sciences
1. Materials come in different forms (states), including solids, liquids, and gases.
a. Students know solids, liquids, and gases have different properties.
b. Students know the properties of substances can change when the substances are mixed, cooled, or heated.
Earth Sciences
3. Weather can be observed, measured, and described.
a. Students know how to use simple tools (e.g., thermometer, wind vane) to measure weather conditions and record changes from day to day and across the seasons.
b. Students know that the weather changes from day to day but that trends in temperature or of rain (or snow) tend to be predictable during a season.
c. Students know the sun warms the land, air, and water.
Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
a. Draw pictures that portray some features of the thing being described.
b. Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements.
c. Record observations on a bar graph.
d. Describe the relative position of objects by using two references (e.g., above and next to, below and left of).
e. Make new observations when discrepancies exist between two descriptions of the same object or phenomenon
Language Arts for Grades TK-1
Children’s adventure stories, folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myth. Includes staged dialogue and brief familiar scenes. Also included are nursery rhymes and the sub-genres of the narrative poem, limerick, and free verse poem Includes biographies and autobiographies
[…] Wow! Art teacher Leah Newton emailed me recently to share this very cool art project related to Snowman – Cold = Puddle. […]