Monday, September 8, 2014

Winter Art Projects For Middle School

Foam and craft pearl snowflakes can be used as ornaments.


Whether you are a middle school art teacher or a parent of pre-teens, arts and craft projects can be an easy way to keep kids engaged during cold winter months. Winter-themed crafts that reflect the season are a good way to pass time and can help improve hand-eye coordination, and allow pre-teens to express their creativity.


Winter Candle Luminary


Candle luminaries are a decorative art project that middle school-aged children can make. Fill tin cans with water and freeze them prior to the students arriving for class. Have the students draw a winter-themed image onto a piece of paper, such as a snowflake or snowman. Tape the images to the cans and use a permanent marker to make a series of dots along the outlined edges of the image. Using a hammer and nail, puncture holes in the can along the dots you made using the marker. The ice in the can will prevent the metal from denting and will result in clean, precise holes. Remove the paper and dump out the water before having the teens paint their cans in the colors of their choices. Place a candle in each can, as the light from the candle will make the image on the luminary shine through the holes.


Foam and Craft Pearl Snowflakes


This is an easy to make craft that can be done in a short amount of time. Have the teenagers trace a snowflake design onto a piece of white craft foam, and have them cut their snowflake out using a precision knife for a clean, sharp edge. The students can then decorate their snowflakes using stick-on craft pearls and glitter paint. This craft can easily be turned into a hanging decoration such as a holiday ornament by adding a metal hook through the top.


Mixed Media Winter Painting


This art project is an easy way to introduce young teens to mixed media art, and is a project that can be worked on for several days or class periods. Give each student a small canvas to work on, as well as a variety of mediums. Acrylic paint, colored pencils, glitter, three-dimensional embellishments, crayons and markers are just a few of the mediums that can be used to create a mixed media painting.


Have the students create a wintertime landscape using the mediums of their choice. For example, realistic snow can be made by creating a paste using glue, glitter and white acrylic paint. Have them incorporate as many mediums as possible into their painting.

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