Winter Art Project: Paint the Snow!

This snow painting activity has been a real hit with The Hooligans. (If you haven't read my blog before, The Hooligans are the lovely children I look after in my daycare.)

Snow painting is a lot of fun, and it's easy to set up, making it perfect for a winter play date or for getting the family outside for creative fun in the yard. Moms and dads will enjoy this activity as much as the kids will!

What you'll need:

• Tempera paint powders (non-toxic, environment friendly)

• jars

• paintbrushes

• a snowy yard

• sticks and twigs from the garden (for frames)

When we paint the snow, we use Tempera paint powders. I like Temperas because they won't cause staining if The Hooligans happen to get any paint on their coats and snow pants. I simply mix the powders with water to get a fairly thin consistency so the colours can easily be applied to the snow.

I prepare the paints in glass jars. This way, the children can either hold on to their jar while painting or they can nestle it down into the snow for a hands-free approach.

I pop a paintbrush into each jar, and when the children trade the paints around, the brush gets traded along with the jar, keeping the colours from getting mixed together.

On this day, I used twigs from the garden to form "frames" for The Hooligans to paint within, giving them the feeling that they were truly creating a masterpiece in the snow.

Painting on the snow requires a light touch, so there's an opportunity for learning here, as the children discover that their results depend on how much pressure they apply to their paintbrush. The snow is at its best for this activity when the surface is firm, or when the layer is crusty. Light, fluffy snow will cling to the paintbrush, making it challenging to transfer the paint off your brush and onto the snow.

On this day, it was cold and overcast, but The Hooligans still had a blast creating maps and roadways and art around the yard.

You're not limited to painting on the ground with this activity. If the conditions are right, you can build a fort, a snowman or snow structure, and decorate it with a little snow painting!

If outside temps are too cold, you can also fill a shallow baking dish with snow, and bring it inside, and the children can experiment and create in the warmth and comfort of your home.This is a great winter activity that kids of all ages will enjoy. I had some fun with it, too! I told you it was fun for moms and dads!

If you enjoyed this idea, I'd love for you to pop over and visit my blog at Happy Hooligans. You'll find loads of easy and inexpensive artsy-crafty inspiration there, as well as simple and creative ideas for play!