Paint a snowy winter wonderland scene using watercolors and melted snow and bring snowy days inside—literally! If your preschooler enjoys playing in the snow, he'll love this unique art activity that lets him do something that's usually a no-no: play with snow indoors. For a little extra learning, you can make this activity into a simple science experiment about what happens to snow when it's exposed to warmer temperatures.
What You Need:
- Snow (place it in a small plastic container such as a cup or bowl and bring it inside)
- Watercolor paints
- Watercolor paper or plain white paper
- Watercolor paint brush
What You Do:
- Start by looking at the snow with your child. What does he think will happen to the snow indoors?
- Place the container of snow in the kitchen sink or on a table with a plate underneath and have him observe it over the course of the day. How quickly does the snow melt?
- When the snow is half melted, set up a work area for painting. Set up the melted snow along with the watercolor paints, paper, and paint brush.
- Now it's time to paint! Have him dip the paint brush in the melted snow, then into one of the colors on the watercolor palette and start painting. The melted snow takes the place of a water cup; use the snow to moisten the watercolors and rinse the paint brush.
- Encourage him to continue painting with the snow and watercolors. To continue the snow theme, try painting a winter forest scene or a snowball fight.
- Once he has finished, set the painting aside to dry.
Did You Know? Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and becomes water vapor at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Erica Loop
Erica Loop has a MS in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education. She has many years of teaching experience working in early childhood education, and as an arts educator at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
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