Should I teach Christmas or Winter art lessons? Part 1

Should I teach a Christmas or a Winter art lesson? Why not offer both!

Plan your art lessons for the December Holiday season, in such a way that the content or context offers choice. When students can apply their personal experiences and family culture to their own artwork, that makes it all the more meaningful. It also meets art standards like:

• Student makes personal connections to artwork
• Student create artwork in response to a variety of stimuli 
• Investigate the purposes of artwork from different times, places and a range of cultures including their own 
• Reflect on the factors that influence personal reactions to artwork

(*source: IB PYP The Arts Scope and Sequence, pgs. 21,27)

Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

Many art teachers are becoming nervous about teaching art lessons based on Christmas themes and we know that in some countries, Christmas is not a recognised festival.

But in countries where it is a highly anticipated celebration, you are overwhelmingly stimulated by this theme, anywhere you go. So how can you just ignore it?

Photo by Chris Briggs on Unsplash

As an art teacher, whether you do, or don’t partake in the Christmas festivities, your students will also vary in their personal experiences. This means that we need to design our lessons to accommodate for choice. I believe that directed drawing is a crucial part of teaching art and explicitly guides students in ways to improve their skills. So if a lesson can start with the same base drawing and then become differentiated - how good would that be?

Let me introduce you to a few of the lessons I have developed for my students over the years.

CLAY sculpture art project for GNOMES

Originally created for my early elementary students, this little lesson has been very popular, even all the way up to adults. The basic hand building skills and shape are the same for all versions. Students can differentiate with details, accessories and paint/glaze colours for the type of gnome they wish to make - Christmas, garden or winter gnomes, etc.

CLAY sculpture art project for Trees

A lovely sister lesson to the gnomes is this one I created for Trees. Again the basic hand building skills and shape are the same for all versions and students can differentiate with details, accessories and paint/glaze colours for the type of tree they wish to make - Christmas,. snowy pines or light festooned trees, etc.

Either of these lessons can be made with air-dry clay, it just won't be as strong as ceramics.  

If you prefer paint options or don't have access to a kiln, I created 2 lesson plans for trees - one for Early elementary and the other for Upper elementary. Both start with the same guided drawing.. steps, then differentiate into either a Snowy (outdoor) tree or a Christmas (indoor) tree. 

Pop over to my next post and read all about them or view all my Winter-Christmas art lessons in my TPT store HERE - One Teacher's Journey