Beautiful Snowflakes

 Colorful Snowflakes

I like this fun poem, "If snow came down in colors." I recently received an email from Patty Fotheringham letting me know that she had thought of this poem years ago (during an especially long winter).   Last year, we were inspired by the poem to make these colorful snowmen with liquid water colors and coffee filters.

This year we didn't have as much time so we just made colorful snowflakes.  First we used droppers to add liquid watercolors to a coffee filter. (I piled them up so they shared colors) .  After the filters dried, I showed small groups of kids how to fold the the circles in half again and again (until they looked like ice cream cones).  I then took a pencil and drew triangles on each of the 3 edges.  The kids then followed the lines and cut out the little triangles.  Perfectly beautiful snowflakes!

I love the concentration as he works

The folded filters were easy for the kids to cut.  I have found that kids are much more confident about cutting snowflakes if they have lines to follow.  Several of the kids drew their own lines on subsequent snowflakes.

Geometric Snowflakes

My photographs don't begin to do justice to these huge snowflakes that were designed by our kindergarteners.  The children used notched popsicle sticks and each designed a geometric snowflake. After their designs were complete, they used hot glue to carefully glue the pieces together.  They then painted the snowflakes and then added glitter so they sparkle in the sun.  Truly spectacular!