Updated this post with my video below on 1/3/26!

This is a NEW art lesson that I created today (Dec. 17, 2025) for my 5th graders to try out after the winter break! I am SOOO excited about it and I just KNOW my students will LOVE it as much as I do!

The only materials needed are 12 x18” black paper ( I like to use Sax brand “Black Colored Art Paper” because of how saturated the color it is, and doesn’t have spotting or inconsistencies within the paper), 12 x 18” white paper, 6×18” black paper, colored chalk pastels, white chalk pastel, scissors, a glue stick, a toothbrush, a plate, and white tempera paint.

I knew I wanted to create a fun landscape using chalk pastels for a winter art lesson and kept playing around with ideas in my head for a few days, then started experimenting at school since Monday. I really love how the northern lights came out and how the snowy trees pop against the black and all that color.

I’m thinking it’ll be a 3 day art lesson- 40 minutes each art class. This winter lesson can be created throughout ANY of the winter months! December-January-February….March even! (If you live in New England, March is like the loooongest cold month (besides January of course Hah!)

Day 1

On a sheet of 12×18” white drawing paper I first drew 5 random wavy lines across the paper with pencil to create a template for the northern lights. Make sure no lines are overlapping.

Then I cut along that top first line and tossed that first top section aside. Then I placed the remaining paper (template) on top of the 12×18” black paper, lining up both papers. Then using various colored chalk pastels, I drew right on the edge of the white paper -AND- on the black paper, going back and forth to create a thick line, and to create a lot of chalk dust. I used a variety of colors and switched colors as I moved along the edge of the white paper. I also overlapped colors where they met. Then once the entire edge is colored I used my finger to smudge upwards from the white paper onto the black paper. I did try to use a different finger as colors changed here and there, but even if I didn’t and they blended a little, it was completely fine. I guess that really just depends on what effect you’re going for color wise and what colors you choose.

In the photo above it shows numbers within each section, but you don’t need to number anything- (that was just for me, since I knew I would forget to take a photo of them cut out).

I then cut along the second line, tossed the top section out, lined the two papers up again and applied the chalk along the papers edge in the same way as mentioned above, then smudged upwards. I did this repeatedly until it filled the black paper (see photo BELOW). Then I used my finger to smudge the bottoms of each line of color created to soften the lines and blur them out a little bit.

DAY 2

Then on day 2, kids would dip a toothbrush into white tempera paint (I used Crayola Premier), not too much! And then flick all over the black paper with northern lights (creating stars in the night sky – or snow falling). I *think* this step could potentially be completed on day 1 after the chalk, but I’m not 100% confident since I’ll also show pictures of northern lights and discuss them, and do a demo on day 1 too. Plus the extra time after the paint (since it won’t take too long) will give some students a chance to finish the northern lights first, if needed. Once complete, they’ll put their artwork in the drying rack, then if time allows, I’ll have them practice the trees on a seperate black sheet.

In the above photo you can see I was testing out some other methods on creating the trees. First I tried drawing a tree line and cutting it out as one piece to create a silhouette of trees, (not shown) then I tried just using the toothbrush to “paint” the trees boughs….but in the end, I decided to use white chalk pastel to draw the trees leaving black paper showing in between the layers of branches as you see below.

DAY 3

On day 3, students will each receive a sheet of black paper cut to 6” x 18”. Using white chalk pastel (no pencil sketching first) they will create trees by drawing the lines (triangular formation of lines for the tree top first) then leave black paper showing in between the next series of tree branches. Creating trees that are close together and varying heights all across the paper.
Once complete, they’ll cut out the trees but leave a small bit of black paper all around each tree as they cut.

TIP: To get rid of any smudges / finger prints afterwards, I find that if you wipe your fingers on a damp hand / baby wipe lightly, then use your slightly dampened (juuuust barely!) finger to wipe away any smudges you don’t want— that trick really works great!

Then flip over carefully and glue the back all over with a glue stick and place along the bottom of the northern lights paper lining the edges up before placing down. I also used another CLEAN sheet of 12×18” white paper to then lay on top of the whole thing and pressed where the trees were to make sure I didn’t smudge the trees while gluing into place.

LEARNING GOALS: 

• Students can see how art and other disciplines, like science,  can be interdisciplinary and helps generate new ideas and supports creative thinking

• Students can demonstrate an understanding on how to blend colors, create texture, and show value changes using chalk pastels

• Students can create a sense of space within their art, when creating the size and placement of their trees

I’ll be posting my 5th graders “Winter Northern Lights” artwork here (in a NEW blog post as well as adding them under 5th grade Art Lessons) once they are complete!

(BTW- you can view my other YouTube tutorials HERE)

Thank you so much for visiting my website today and thank you and “welcome!” to all of my new subscribers!

I’m SO excited to finally share some of my 1st Graders finished mixed-media snow globes! I’m so proud of my students and they had a ton of fun creating these!! This new winter art lesson I created blends a variety of the elements of art too!

Step-by-step directions with photos of each process, as well as the learning goals for the lesson are below pics of the final artwork.

My teacher example below

This lesson took 4 Art classes to finish (40 minutes each)

DAY 1

Students each get a template of the globe that I drew then photocopied on 80# 9×12” drawing paper (this template btw is in my TpT store for just $1.50– link to my TpT store is HERE) and draw along with me, as I demo the snow line, house, and tree. They could add other details as well if they had space next to the house (which most did, and added additional trees, snowmen, bushes etc.) Once finished, they drew whatever they wanted in the globes base ( I did demonstrate how to create the bubble snowflakes too, if they wanted to add them in).

Then students went over all their pencil lines with a fine point black sharpie.

DAY 2

On day 2, students colored in their house, tree, bushes, and other details using crayons. I encouraged them to press hard as they colored, so the colors would be more vibrant. They also colored in their windows with a yellow crayon, to make it look like the lights were on inside their houses. Then they outlined everything with a black crayon after. After that they added a little bit of blue to the snow with crayon just along the edges (for the snow on the ground, on the roof, and on the tree branches).

If there was time, they then drew white snowflakes with a white crayon (just small circles and filling them in) in the sky within their globe, being sure to press down hard as they colored.

DAY 3

Students finished coloring if needed, making sure to add some snow falling (SOME not tons!) with white crayon and then painted the sky using turquoise liquid watercolor paint (we used Sax brand liquid watercolors) going right over their falling snowflakes creating a crayon-wax resist.
Then I walked around with a big box of kosher salt, as kids finished painting, and gave a small handful out to each student to sprinkle the salt on top of the paint while the paint was still wet (creating a salt resist technique)!
This was everyone’s favorite part!! They were SO surprised that we were incorporating salt into the artwork!
Then students placed their snow globes into the drying rack and did a little free draw until clean up. I wish I took photos of kids while they were painting to add those here, but it was a busy classroom with paint cups and handing out salt to all the students! So here are a few pics of the snow globes painted with sprinkled salt —but still drying.

DAY 4

I rubbed all the salt off of each students painting ahead of time (this only took maybe 10 minutes per class). The salt left a tiny fleck of white showing, thus resulting in a snowy look within their sky.
Then for the final part of the lesson students each received a photocopied red 9×12” sheet of construction paper (already folded in half) with the lines and “name” and “class” written at the top.

I drew this ahead of time on a sheet of white 9×12” 80# drawing paper (folding the white paper in half first, as if you were making a card, and holding the folded paper horizontally, with the folded part on the bottom, and the open part at the top. From there, I measured 1” from the top and drew a line with a ruler. Then wrote “name” and “class” along that line. Then found the center (roughly the center) and marked it with a short vertical line. Then found the halfway point between the center line and the left edge and marked it with a short vertical line. Then did the same thing for the halfway point between the center line and the right edge of the paper. Then continued finding the halfway points for those areas and marking it with short vertical lines.
Once that was complete, then I drew vertical lines using a ruler along each of those short marks all the way down to the folded edge.
Then I opened up the paper and ran it through the photo copier printing copies on red 9×12” construction paper for the whole class. I figured black colored pencil would show up better with the red paper, so I used that instead of a regular school pencil, to draw the lines mentioned above as well as “name” and “class”.

Once all the red papers were copied, I folded each one in half ahead of time (I felt like this was a good idea, as it saved a step for students and 1st graders may have had difficulty folding the sheet in half).

I also cut 1” x 9” strips of green construction paper using a paper cutter ahead of time (making sure to cut extra! just in case). Students each received the red paper and green strips, scissors and a glue stick and then watched me as I did a demo.

Students watched me as I demonstrated under the document camera (while the red paper is still folded) how to cut into the bottom center line going UP and then making sure to STOP on the black horizontal line where they wrote their name and class. This part is VERY important in order to successfully weave the strips in, so the green strips can align straight as they weave and not be tilted!!

Then after ALL vertical lines were cut to the horizontal line, I opened up the red paper and showed them how to weave in the green strips one at a time, going over and under on their loom. Once one green strip was in place, I showed them how to “push up” on the green strip to make it snug, then glued the ends of the green strip to the red loom (flipping the loom over once one side was done, to glue the ends with a glue stick). Gluing the ends as soon as one green strip is in place is also VERY important, so that the green strip doesn’t shift around and move on you as you weave the next strips.

Students then started working on their own and began cutting their red folded papers along the vertical lines.

Then they opened their red papers, laid them flat on their desks, and started weaving in their green strips -being sure to glue each one down as soon as the strip was in place.

Once all the strips were in place and glued, students wrote their name and class on the loom in pencil, flipped it over, then cut out their snow globe, and glued the back heavily with a glue stick, then glued it to their paper weaving!

As you can see in the photo ABOVE, kids that finished early were then my “teaching assistant’s” (THEY LOOOVED THAT!!) and helped out any students that were having difficulty with weaving. I loved seeing students beam with pride and confidence as they helped their classmates. This definitely incorporated some SEL in the lesson! I did walk around and help some students as well—-the weaving was definitely the most challenging part of the lesson but kids got the hang of it after demonstrating again one-on-one and they turned out beautifully!!

LEARNING GOALS: 

• Students use their previous knowledge on lines and shapes and can create a 3D looking house
• Students can make connections to math concepts (drawing geometric shapes, pattern recognition, measurements) 
• Students can define and create a crayon wax resist painting 
• Students explore salt resist techniques 
• Students can create a paper weaving and build upon their fine motor skills

Thank you so much for visiting my website today! More art lessons will be posted very soon!!!

***JUST ADDED A “ Q & A “ on my “About Me” page (11/23/25) if you’re interested in learning more about me. Scroll to the bottom of that page to view my Q & A and I also added a “Comments” Page as well – to read comments from viewers and to add a comment if you’d like! ***

This is a new lesson I created for my first graders, and we just started it today at one of my schools. My students did such a great job drawing their houses and trees today! ( btw-that is my teacher example above) 

I’m thinking it’ll take 4 art classes to finish. 

Globe template is available now in my TpT store for $1.50 PDF printable template! Link to my TpT is HERE

DAY 1: 

Students get a template of the globe that I drew/copied on 80# drawing paper and draw along with me as I demo the house/tree/snow. They could add other details as well if they had space next to the house (which many did!) 

DAY 2: 

Draw details on the bottom of the snow globe in pencil.  (I’ll show kids how I made my snowflakes on the bottom of my globe – but they can draw whatever details they want). Sharpie over all pencil lines with a black fine point sharpie. Color in the house, tree, bushes, and other details using crayons. Then outline everything with a black crayon after.  Then add a little blue to the snow with crayon. 

DAY 3: 

Finish coloring if needed. Then they’ll draw some snow falling (SOME not tons!) with white crayon and paint the sky using turquoise liquid watercolor paint, adding salt while still wet.

DAY 4: 

Students create a 9×12” loom with either a red paper with green strips or green paper with red strips (strips are 1” x 9”). Then they’ll weave in their strips and glue down ends after each strip is in place. Then they’ll cut out their snow globe and glue onto their weaving with a glue stick. 

LEARNING GOALS: 

• Students use their previous knowledge on lines and shapes and can create a 3D looking house
• Students can make connections to math concepts (drawing geometric shapes, pattern recognition, measurements) 
• Students can define and create a crayon wax resist painting 
• Students explore salt resist techniques 
• Students can create a paper weaving and build upon their fine motor skills

Here are some Day 1 photos of student’s artwork from today, after I demonstrated how to draw the snow, house and tree! 

They did an incredible job and I can’t wait to see their finished artwork! 

Let me know if you’d be interested in a YouTube tutorial of this lesson. 

If yes, then select “yes” below! 

I’ll post again here, as well as add the finished artwork to the “1st Grade Art Lessons” page once they are complete in a few weeks! ❄️❄️❄️

Please check out my previous most recent posts below! You can copy and paste each title in my search bar below to go directly to them.

• 1 Point Perspective Cityscapes 
• Snowy Owl Collage
• Mixed-Media Leaf Impressions 
• Art on a Cart
• Dotted Leaf Paintings 
• Drawing a Victorian House

Search

Search

Thanks so much for visiting my site today!