Crazy snowflakes by kids

   One of the many wonderful things about teaching is the freedom, and I think necessity, to be creative. Whether it be how to go about teaching a math concept, a literacy center idea, or a special craft project, I get to let my creative juices flow constantly.

   We've been learning about weather and seasons since August (I wish I could say all 19 kindergartners grasp the concept by now). This week we were learning about snow, different snow activities, that it's precipitation etc. and we made these cute and kind of crazy snowflakes that I wanted to share.

   We started out with this paper that instantly drew a "Wow!" from my students.

   Then the kids traced one of their hands four times to make a plus sign type of pattern and cut it out. The cutting out was a challenge.

The best part, of course, was decorating the "snowflakes" with glitter (TONS of it), glitter glue, and tinsel.

   Our classroom tables are still covered with glitter and glue, just the way kindergarten tables should be, and I'm still finding tinsel on the floor. The kids enjoyed the activity so much though and our lovely snowflakes hanging from the ceiling give a magical feel to our classroom. Letting them get creativie is always worth the mess.