Known as a symbol of good luck and long life from 230 BC, the Chinese lantern is the center of the Chinese Lantern Festival that is celebrated on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese New Year. This is winter in the Northern hemisphere. To make Chinese lanterns, fold a piece of construction paper into a long thin rectangle. Draw a faint line about one-quarter inch from the long open side of the folded paper. Cut from the folded edge to that line about every half-inch all the way down the paper. When you unfold your paper, you will have a lantern.
Snow globes, also called water globes and snow domes, first appeared in the late 1800s and quickly became popular with children.Today, elementary school children can not only express an understanding of winter when they create snow globe, but will also learn techniques of measuring and mixing, design, weight and balance; and liquid displacement. Using a small jar of any kind, fill the jar with mineral oil to one-half inch from the top or use water with a few drops of glycerin. Add a small teaspoon of finely broken egg shells or craft glitter to the liquid. Set this aside. In the lid of the jar, use silicone to attach a small waterproof ornament. Build up the base of the lid so that the ornament will be seen through the glass of the jar. Once dry, place the lid on the jar and invert it.
Create a winter landscape painting by using paint and salt. Learn about birch trees and then create a painting of birch trees against a moonlit backdrop by using strips of tape from the top to the bottom of the page and smaller strips for the branches of the trees. Wash the exposed sections of the paper with a blue watercolor. Sprinkle salt into the painted sections of the paper. When the painting is dry, rub off the salt and use a thin brush to paint on white "snowflake" dots on the blue backdrop. When you remove the tape, the painting will look impressive.
Take the chance during winter to teach students about warm and cool colors and the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, known as Kirigami. Teach the color wheel and the concept of warm and cool colors. Warm colors are reds, oranges and yellows. Cool colors are blues and purples. In terms of color theory, a warm color has more yellow in its base while a cool color has more pink. Warm colors tend to be exciting and invigorating; cool ones are calming and soothing although sometimes depressing. Study examples of warm and cool colors from the students`own wardrobes, their homes and the classroom. Teach students to make paper snowflakes from white paper and glue them onto a "cool color" background. To make a paper snowflake, fold a piece of white paper in half. Mark the center of that fold by folding again in half, then use that mark as a guide to fold the right corner, then the left corner upward toward the center at about a 60-degree angle. Trim the excess off the top so you have a cone, then cut shapes into the folded edges. When you unfold the paper, you will have a pretty snowflake to add to the cool-colored background. You can also make snowflakes by folding the paper into quarters and cutting the edges.