Snowy Day Art

February is full of things to celebrate. We have Presidents’ Day and Valentine’s Day and it is also Black History Month! The weather has been quite snowy in the north! It all reminds me of a favorite children’s book- “A Snowy Day” by Ezra Zack Keats. It won a Caldecott award in 1963 and it is the first full color picture book about a small black boy. The illustrations are wonderful simple shapes with little details, made from cutouts, watercolor, and collage. The lack of distinct details and the use of organic and geometric shapes adds to the tranquil, calm story line about a boy waking up to find snow has fallen during the night and the rest is about his day and discoveries in the snow.

The book can be found on Amazon the kindle version, a hard back copy, and a paperback copy.

There have been winter days when it would snow enough to close the schools for a day here in Macon, Ga. When the school would be open back up, I would ask my young students to tell me about their day and what they did in the snow. What colors did they see? What shapes did they use to make their snowmen? Did they add a scarf? Did the snowman have any facial expressions? Did anybody make a snow angel? I would then have them create their own Day in the Snow. They could draw in pencil on light blue or gray construction paper but they could color with oil pastels, cut out snowflakes and use scrap construction paper to collage their artwork.

Here is an example:

Reading “A Snowy Day” to children and discussing their own experiences in the snow is a fun way to help children recall and create art from their own experiences. Mizz Mac