Once there was a Snowman: Tall, Tall, Tall

Title of Lesson:  Once there was a Snowman:  Tall, Tall, Tall

Medium:  Elmer’s Glue, Shaving Cream, Construction Paper

Reason for Lesson:  To introduce students to the concept of TEXTURE and help them understand that a variety of textures surround them everyday.  Texture is depicted both literally and figuratively in pieces of art. Sculpture and fabric art will often have a texture that can be felt, while paintings often have a visual feel that may or may not be present when touched. 

Prep Time:  45 min.

Preparation prior to lesson:  15 minutes

Class Time: 45 min - 1 hr

Materials for Snowman/Texture Lesson: 2-4 regular bottles of Elmer’s Glue, 2-4 cans of Shaving Cream, 4 large mixing Bowls, 4 mixing spoons, Plastic spoon for each child, blue construction paper for background, black, orange and brown construction paper for adding detail to the snowman.

Instructions to Lead Snowman/Texture Lesson:  Begin the lesson by discussing with the kids what texture is.  I had the kids walk quietly around the room and feel different “textures”.  I emphasized “quietly” with the kids.  After about a minute I had them all return to their seats and the kids took turns sharing one texture that they felt. 

The kids then drew the 3 circles for their snowmen on the blue paper and then set it aside.  I then had the kids get their scissors out and we cut each piece of the snowman out one at a time. (orange triangle nose, 5 black circles for the eyes and buttons, long skinny brown rectangles for the arms, and a black hat.) I drew the shape of the hat on the whiteboard to help the students.

Next is time to mix the “snow”.  Approximately a half can of shaving cream and about half a regular sized bottle of elmer’s glue works well.  I divided the class in to 4 groups and they each were able to participate in making their own batch of “snow”.  Once mixed I took the bowls away and then went around the room and placed a scoop of snow on each of the circles the kids drew for their snowmen.  The kids used a plastic spoon to spread the mixture and fill in their circles.  

The last step is to place all the cut out pieces of the snowman on to the snow.  The pieces will stick to the wet mixture and dry glued.  No need for any extra glue.

Credit:  How to Teach Texture Art: By Sylvia Branch, eHow Contributor