Snow Globes in the Classroom

Christmas is always a crazy time of year, especially in the classroom. One of the things that has always stressed me out is thinking of an amazing parent gift that is cheap,

memorable, not to time consuming and (preferably) somewhat educational.

While browsing furiously through Pinterest a few years ago I found the blog of a mom who had the fabulous idea of making snow globes with her kids. I was inspired, but is it possible to get this done for up to 32 students?

Here's a step by step on how I have done this in my classroom for the past few years.

MATERIALS:

Glass Jar

Water

Silver Glitter

Evergreen sprigs (from an artifical tree or garland)

Hot Glue

STEP 1: Collecting glass jars.

Starting in November, I ask students to start bringing in glass jars with lids. Pasta sauce, pickles. chip dips and many other food items come in class jars. I specifically ask that they rinse it as least three times before they bring in the jar and try to take the label off. Students have also brought in mason jars which I have found to seal the best in the end.

STEP 2: Remove the labels.

Usually I get at least 4 or 5 jars with labels. If you let them sit overnight in a sink or bucket of water usually the glue dissolves, if it doesn't I throw the jar away. Who has time for that?

STEP 3: Take the picture.

On a cold day (doesn't have to be snowy), I have students bundle up and tell them to make the face they would have if they found out they were stuck in a snow globe. I always get some hilarious ideas. I like to stand about 6 feet away so that the students are the right size. Below are some examples of the size you want. I usually develop the pictures at Walgreens or CVS, they need to be printed on picture paper.

STEP 4: Cut out the pictures around the edges.

Once you have picked up the pictures, I take them home and cut them out as carefully as I can around the edges. This is something I wouldn't have the students do. It's a tight cut and those students who struggle with fine motor skills will be frustrated.

STEP 5: Cut evergreen sprigs.

I love to put in little evergreen sprigs to put with the kids so that is fills out the scene. I go to Michaels or JoAnn Fabric and get a fake garland. Using wire cutters, I trim off "tree looking" sprigs for the kids to use in their snow globe.

STEP 6: Assemble Globe

Once I have the pictures cut and the sprigs ready I turn on my hot glue gun and get ready to assemble. This works well if the kids are watching a movie or you have a volunteer who you trust to help you out. My mom usually comes in and helps so that the surprise isn't ruined for one of the parents.

Set out butcher paper to avoid a huge glitter mess.

Put a large clump of hot glue on the lid.

Have students choose a sprig and stick it in the glue with their picture. I always tell them to hold the two carefully together but not to press down.

While the glue is still hot I sprinkle glitter on it so it looks like a pile of snow.

Once it is dried I have the kids fill their jar with water up to the lid and then sprinkle in about a tablespoon or so of glitter.

Carefully place the lid on the jar and turn tightly. The glitter always clumps for the first day or so but then it'll shake easily.

STEP 7: Wrap it and send it home.

I like to turn the globes upside down so they don't leak at all on the way home.

When they are nice and dry, I wrap them with tissue paper and tie them with a little twine.

"That's great," you might say, "but what is education about this?" Along with sending home the snow globe, I have students write a paper about what it is like to be trapped in a snow globe. Below are the Smart-board slides I used for the students as we worked through the writing process.

Writing is always so hard in fourth grade, but with our snow globe creations, their buy in for this writing activity is incredible. The kids love it and they come up with some hilarious ideas.

Making snow globes and writing about them is a great thing to do in December when everyone is a little antsy. Not only do you get a fun and creative gift but you also encourage students to write creatively.