Stay Snuggly Warm for Winter Walks, A Fun Art Activity for Creative Kids

Winter walks need the right clothing. When you looked at Monet’s painting, The Magpie, in my last post, did you think about what you would have to wear to enjoy that winter day?

The Magpie, 1868, Claude Monet, Musee D’Orsay, public domain

This post will include 3 things:

1. A short story about the woes of getting 20 kindergartners ready to go outside in the winter… but why it’s worth it
2. A fun art activity about hats, mittens, and winter pictures
3. Some suggestions for related curriculum connections to enjoy

Story

“Where was that boot?” I knew the child had arrived in boots, but I had crawled under every table and it was nowhere. I finally gave up and searched through our spare bin for a boot to fit her small, stockinged foot, so we could go out for recess.

Each child had a cubby, so you’d think it would be easy to match each child to their outdoor clothing. Not so. Twenty kindergartners can quickly create an infinite number of mismatched mittens, boots, and lost hats. Chaos often reigned, along with tears. Lots of tears–sometimes mine .

When I graduated college, I took a position team-teaching with an experienced kindergarten teacher. Kindergarten was half day, and we taught one group in the morning and another in the afternoon. So teaching time was at a premium. Despite that, this teacher insisted we take children out for a recess. Even if it was cold and snowy. (and in Maine it often was)

About three days into the first cold week of winter, I asked (okay, grumbled!) why we took so much valuable lesson time for recess in the winter. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let them play in the block corner? She just smiled.

And as she knew I would, I soon began to notice the joy on children’s faces as they played outside. Sticky snow inspired snowmen. They loved to taste snowflakes on their tongues, and even in snowsuits and boots, they jumped in snow drifts and chased each other around the playground. When we came back in, the wiggles were gone, and most settled down to do a little more work.

No matter what age we are, we all need those breaks to get out the wiggles. Outside sights and sounds refresh us mentally, physically, and spiritually. But we need snuggly clothing to enjoy wintry weather.

So here is our art project. A child’s happy face with a hat and mittens opening up to reveal a picture of something they enjoyed outside on a winter day.

A Fun Art Activity

Supplies

• Sturdy white paper
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Crayons and/or water color paints and brushes
• markers

Directions (Although there’s lots children can do on this projects, an adult or older child will need to do the original measuring, cutting, and drawing)

For an adult

1. From the white paper, cut a strip 18” long X 6” wide
2. Measure 9” in to find the middle
3. From that point measure 3¼” over twice on each side of the middle mark and draw lines ( which leaves 2¼” left on each side)
4. Fold on these lines as shown in the pictures (the inner folds toward the center—they should meet there—and the outer folds outward)
5. Next draw a template for a mitten and one half of a child’s face topped with a hat. (see the picture)
6. Using the mitten template draw a mitten on each side of the outer fold (turn the template over for the second mitten
7. On the folds beneath the mittens, use the face template to draw half a face on each side. (See the picture)
8. Cut away some of the paper around the mitten so it is still attached but has the mitten shape. (see the picture)

For Children

1. Draw designs on the mittens and eyes, nose and mouth on the face ( just one eye and half of the nose and mouth go on each side)
2. Do the designs in crayon and fill in the spaces with water color paint (this is called crayon resist, because the waxy crayon resist the paint) you can mix your paint colors and paint right over the crayon designs.
3. On the space inside, attach a photo or draw a picture of something you enjoyed seeing outside this winter
4. When finished and dry, refold the sections so the mittens cover the child’s face until you open it all up.This makes a great picture to put up on the fridge or a card to send to grandparents!

Helpful Hints

• Children may use just crayon or marker for this activity
• If using the crayon resist method, have children outline all shapes with crayon, even if they don’t color them in. This makes it easier to paint within the lines of the hat, mittens, etc.
• I left my face uncolored except for rosy cheeks, so that children can choose the skin color they’d like. Most large boxes of crayons now have many skin tones available
• Help children mix enough water and pigment to be able to paint a whole space. (this is what the cover of paint sets is for) But not so much water that no color shows and the paper gets saturated.

Variations

• Use colored paper for your base and draw and cut out faces and mittens from white paper. Once these are colored, cut the mittens out and the face apart and glue onto the folded base paper. You will still have to measure and cut the base paper as explained above.
• Make a real pompom of yarn for the hat (you’ll actually need 2 pompoms!)
• Use some cloth to make a scarf

Cleanup Tips

This is not a very messy project, but certainly a supply of paper towels and a plastic tablecloth are helpful if you decide to paint.

Curriculum Connections

• Look up how sheep are raised and cared for and learn about how their wool is turned into yarn.
• Watch a video of sheepdogs in action.
• Watch a video of someone knitting mittens and hats.
• Research about the Industrial Revolution and how spinning and weaving were among the first processes to be mechanized.
• What were some good outcomes of this mechanization, such as cheaper goods?
• What were some bad outcomes for the workers who flocked to the cities to work in the mills? such as child labor.
• What are some new, man-made fibers that help keep us warm today?

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Molly and I hope you enjoyed this art activity and will be able to don your own snuggly hat, mittens, and scarf and get outside to enjoy God’s creation!Next post will be children’s books about winter! Don’t miss it! Sign up to receive the Picture Lady posts by email.

 

 

 

 

Don’t Allow the Pandemic to Make You Miss Jesus this Christmas

I almost missed this painting of Jesus. Small and tucked away in an out-of-the-way gallery, it was overshadowed by the larger, more famous paintings at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

In this post the devotion is first, followed by an art project the whole family can enjoy together. Next is a very short bio of the artist Gerrit van Honthorst.  And last of all a couple of photos of Molly and me in the snow. I hope you’ll enjoy any or all of these.

The Uffizi, author photo

Devotion:

Like other famous museums, the Uffizi is crowded. People fill every gallery. Many are tired. Not everyone is polite. As we stood in front of one especially famous painting, someone in the crowd actually rested a camera attached to a selfie stick on my husband’s head! (selfie sticks are now banned in most museums!)

But to visit the Uffizi was a once–in-a-lifetime experience,

The Holy Family by Michelangelo, photo by author

so we persevered, even though we often had to wait and then stand our ground for space to gaze at great Renaissance art. I marveled at the rich colors of Michelangelo’s Holy Family and so many other beautiful paintings.

At the end of the day when we trudged into a small, plain gallery, my feet ached, and my head was on art overload (yes, even art teachers get there!) I collapsed on a bench, like this guy I photographed at the Louvre, and didn’t even look at the art on the walls.

So my husband saw it first—a small nativity painting by Gerrit van Honthorst that uses light and shadow to focus on Jesus. I had come to the Uffizi on a mission to see the big Renaissance artworks for real. It took a small painting by a not-very-well-known artist to show me I was missing Jesus.

Long ago people had to go to Bethlehem for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of a Roman census. Crowds of tired people were on missions to find rooms. Not everyone was polite. Tempers flared, and children cried.   And most missed Jesus. He was small, like any baby, and He was tucked away in a stable behind one of those inns. No halos, crowns, or beautiful garments made Him stand out. Instead Mary had wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger.

But the shepherds stopped everything and hurried to see Jesus, because they believed the angels’ announcement:  “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 (NIV)

Adoration of the Christ Child by Honthorst, photo by author

They truly saw Jesus. They saw the One who created the stars lying humbly in a manger. They saw God’s most amazing miracle of all time–Immanuel, God come to dwell with us and in His great compassion save us from our sins. They worshiped Him with wonder and delight. Let’s make sure we don’t get so focused on our holiday missions of shopping, gift-wrapping, and baking, that we miss Jesus, God’s greatest gift to us—Himself.

If you can’t gather with friends or family this year send them a link to this blog or the one to the painting at the Uffizi and then zoom with them to talk about the painting together. Ask them to tell you what they see and share with them the wonder of Immanuel, God with us.

https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/adoration_of_the_child_gherrit_van_honthorst

Art Project—a pop-up card to help everyone see Jesus!

Supplies

•      pencil, ruler, scissors
•      1 piece of medium blue cardstock, cut a little smaller than the white card
•      1 piece of white or other light-colored cardstock
•      small pieces or scraps of yellow and/or brown construction paper
•      old Christmas cards with nativity scenes or scraps of white cardstock to draw on
•      markers
•      white glue and glitter or glitter glue

Directions (This is a fun project to do as a family—adults or older children helping younger children)

1. Score and Fold both blue and white cards in half

2. The blue card:

A few inches from the top on the inside draw a wavy line for some hills and add a few small   buildings and palm trees. Leave room for the big star!! (look at towns on old Christmas cards for examples). Use blue marker to color the buildings and trees.  Leave some windows and doors to fill in with yellow marker after blue marker is dry.

3. To make the pop-up section on the blue card

Refold the card and on the outside at the fold, place a dot at the middle. About an inch on each side of the dot draw one line that extends 1 ½” up from the fold and with the card still folded, cut along the 2 lines. Do not cut across the top.

Open the card and poke the cut section through to the front. Scoring for the folds helps.

Crease along the two scored lines so the cut portion stands up like a bench.

4. The Star

In the sky above the little houses on the blue card, draw a large star and outline in glue. Make dots for small scattered stars. Sprinkle glitter over the stars and allow to dry.

5. Attaching the blue card to the white card

Turn the blue card to the back and thinly spread glue over its back, being sure not to get glue on the poked-to-the-front section. Center the blue card on the white card, lining up the folds and press to stick.

6. The Manger Scene

Cut out a manger scene from a Christmas card (You don’t have to cut out every figure—maybe just a shape that includes everyone). Or you can draw and cut out your own from another piece of cardstock.

Glue the manger scene to the front of the “bench” so when the card is opened, the manger scene will stand up. Cut yellow and brown paper into small, thin pieces and glue at base of manger for straw.

Place your manger scene where everyone can see Jesus!

If you’d like to send your card to someone, turn the card over to the white front and add a Christmas message about Jesus!  Decorate around your message with markers

A very short Bio of Gerrit van Honthorst, who painted The Adoration of the Christ Child:

Gerrit van Honthorst was born in the Netherlands in 1590. He studied art in Italy, learning how Carravaggio created dramatic lights and darks. While in Italy, Honthorst painted many night scenes, mostly religious. Although not very well-known today, Honthorst helped bring the dramatic Baroque art style to northern Europe, and influenced Rembrandt in the Netherlands and Georges de la Tour in France.      

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 Molly and I wish you all a blessed Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus.

!

Fun and Easy Pumpkin Thanksgiving Cards

You may not be able to get together with family or friends this year for Thanksgiving, but you and your children can brighten your days and theirs with these fun and easy pumpkin Thanksgiving cards. They print up quickly, so you can make lots and send them out with encouraging verses.

Supplies

• card stock or heavy-duty construction paper
• 2 or 3 apples, fairly round in shape
• orange tempera paint or red and yellow to make orange
• a plastic container to mix paint
• medium sized brushes
• green and brown markers
• googly eyes or white paper to make eyes
• envelopes

Directions

1. 1. 1. cut apples in half
      2. cut and fold card stock or construction paper to fit the envelopes you have
      3. if you don’t have orange paint, mix yellow and red paint to make orange. Be sure to start with yellow and add just a little red at a time
      4. with the paint brush spread the orange paint on the face of the apple and press straight down on paper to make the print (you may want to practice on some scrap paper first to see how much paint and pressure you need. Encourage children not to move the apple around on the paper, but don’t stress out if they do. The pumpkins will still be cute and lovable because you and your children made them!)

   While the pumpkins dry, Molly wants you to be sure to look at her posing next to a pumpkin in her artist beret at the end!

   1. after the pumpkins are dry, add stems, leaves and tendrils with green and brown markers
   2. add googly eyes (if you don’t have these cut out round or oval pieces of white paper, glue to pumpkins and color in some “dots” with marker)
   3. add a mouth under the eyes

That’s it—Fun and Easy!!

Now open up the card and add encouraging messages, more pumpkins, a picture of your family, a turkey, verses from Scripture.

Here are a few Scripture selections to get you started: all are from the NIV

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

²           Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

³           Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴           Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵           For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

⁹           Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

¹⁰         Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

¹¹         Look to the Lord and his strength;

seek his face always.

¹²         Remember the wonders he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

    Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

    Psalm 62:5-8

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

⁶           He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

⁷           My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

⁸           Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Variation:

Use these cards at each person’s place on Thanksgiving day.  Write the person’s name on the outside. Inside write headings such as Blessings, Prayer Requests, Things that have been hard this year, Ways God has helped us this year, etc.

Molly and I hope you enjoy making these Fun and Easy Pumpkin Thanksgiving Cards and sending them with encouraging verses for you and your family and friends.

 

Molly preping for her pictures! She loves dressing up in her
artist beret!

Molly is all set to celebrate Thanksgiving! Her ears are just right for holding the beret in place!

Molly and I also hope to see you back soon for Art to help you celebrate Christmas!

Make a Colorful Painting of Fall Leaves to Hang on Your Fridge

Winter may be coming, but your children can make a colorful fall painting to hang on your fridge to brighten wintry days ahead.

In this project children will:

• Learn how to draw a tree
• Have fun mixing yellows and reds to make orange; reds and blues to make burgundy. They can discover that adding a little brown to yellow gives them a golden color.
• Choose and experiment with different tools that are easy for little hands to use.

And this art activity can help your children in other areas of learning, because:

• Opportunities to make choices with color and tools, as in this activity, enhances problem-solving skills.
• Discussing their choices as they work aids in vocabulary and conversational skills.

Supplies

• Red, yellow, blue, brown, and green tempera paint and containers for mixing paint
• blue and green construction paper (for the variation explained below, you’ll need purple and a darker blue)
• markers or crayons
• pencils
• scissors
• glue stick or white glue
• round brushes, clothespins to hold cotton balls, Q-tips held together with a rubber band, and small pieces of damp sponge

Directions

1. For the background cut a wavy piece of green paper and glue it to the bottom of the blue paper. This is the foreground on which the tree stands.
2. For the tree use a pencil to draw a simple Y tree. You can see this in the photo. On the left is a tree of single lines, each branch formed by the letter Y. In the tree on the left you can see how those lines are thickened to form the tree.
3. Color the tree with crayons or markers using different browns, grays, and even a little black. Add some greens below to suggest grass.
4. Mix the paint in shallow containers.  
5. Let your children try different tools on scrap paper first to discover the different effects they will get. Sometimes the marks will look better after dabbing on scrap paper first.
6. After they have experimented, they can paint colorful fall leaves all over the branches of the trees and falling onto the ground below.

Helpful Hints: If possible, before starting this project, go outside and look closely at some trees to observe the following:

• All the colors and textures in the bark
• How the branches get thinner as they get farther from the trunk
• How leaves may have mixtures of greens and yellows or reds, as the chlorophyll is no longer being produced.
• It might also help to stand in front of a tree and look into the distance while you explain that the tree next to them and the one they’ll do in their painting are large as we would expect. But things farther away look smaller in real life and will in their painting, too.

Help your children experiment with mixing and creating new colors from the ones they have. Show them that when you make a color like orange, mix just a little bit of the darker color (in this case, red) into the lighter color, yellow. The other way around, and you’ll find yourself having to use way more of the lighter color and may never get the light mix you want.

Hints for Clean Up:

Have a large plastic container to put the tools in when finished so you can easily throw away used Q-tips and cotton balls and wash the rest in the sink.

Variations:

If you and your children wish, you may add the other two landscape distances to the green foreground of their picture. Add blue water for the middleground and purple or gray mountains for the background. You can also use one of the tools and white paint to add some clouds.

Molly hopes you enjoy Making a Colorful Painting of Fall Leaves to Hang on Your Fridge, We’d love to hear what your favorite part of this project was!

Molly and I hope to see you right back here soon for a Fall Art Project for Older Children!