Birch Trees Watercolour Paintings

This is a very popular and well-known art teacher project- you can see variations all over the internet. 

I think it's so popular because there is a high student success rate with this lesson, due to using masking tape. I've posted versions of this project many, many times in the past.

I now normally do this lesson with my Grade 7-9 class. 

On heavy white paper, draw a wavy horizon line for the snow. Then students use different sized widths of masking paper and tear/cut tree shapes and put it on the paper. Some choose to add branches for extra realism.

Trace around the bottom of the tree trunks with a pencil.

Paint the sky using watercolours. Let dry.

Some add salt for texture.

The next class, carefully remove the masking tape. Mix up a cool toned light grey/blue and use it to paint shadows down on side of each tree trunk. |Then, using the same paint, add cast shadows from the bottom of each tree. Make sure you go in the same diagonal direction for each tree.

Final step is to add the signature black markings using a thin brush and black paint.

I always love how these come out- it's a real crowd pleaser!!

 

Handwritten holiday letters to senior citizens

This project wasn’t an art lesson in the traditional sense—but it may be one of my favourites this year.

With my homeroom class, I spent time teaching something increasingly rare: how to write a handwritten letter. Together, we wrote friendly holiday letters to senior citizens living alone in a nearby care home. It was simple yet meaningful.

Writing friendly letters offers so many benefits for kids’ development. It strengthens writing skills such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary, while also supporting reading comprehension as students learn how to communicate clearly with an unseen reader.

Letter writing also encourages reflection and emotional intelligence. Students have to slow down, think about what they want to say, and express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a thoughtful way. Writing to a real person—especially someone outside their own age group—fosters empathy and social awareness. They begin to consider another person’s life, experiences, and feelings, and how their words might be received. 

I thrifted all of the Christmas stationary from Goodwill. You know the kind—the holiday letterhead moms used in the 90s to send their annual family Christmas letters. Turns out, since almost no one sends letters anymore, there’s tons of it at thrift stores. I paid no more than $1 per pack, and I have so much leftover for other projects. I also luckily found a pack of red envelopes to complete the look.

We brainstormed ideas together before writing: family traditions, which holidays they celebrate (I have students from all faith backgrounds), favourite winter activities, hobbies, and small moments that bring them joy. For privacy reasons, students didn’t include their real names or school. They drafted their letters first on lined paper, which I proofread, and then chose their favourite stationary to write their final copy. Watching them carefully rewrite their words in pen—slowing down, concentrating, and taking pride in their work—was honestly a joy.

The letters turned out incredibly sweet. Thoughtful. Kind. Genuine.

I hope they bring a smile to the seniors who receive them—and I hope my students remember that their words matter, that connection doesn’t have to be digital, and that sometimes the simplest projects leave the biggest impact.

 

Frosty Snowflakes with Winter Quotes

This was a two day project that I managed to squeeze into the last week of school before Christmas vacation. I originally saw a version of this project somewhere online, but I can't remember where. If it's your lesson- please leave a comment so I can credit you!

The first class, students created a watercolour background using liquid watercolours and salt. This creates a frosty pattern effect. 

Next class, students cut out a snowflake (this gets harder and harder each year with students I find). They glued this onto their background along with a winter themed quite they chose.

I mounted them onto larger blue paper and they created designs 

in the border using a paint pen. 

Grade 4/5 results!

 

Creative 3D Christmas Tree art project

This was a 'extra time' project for any early finishers in my high school class during December. 

My former colleague is a master weaver and a wonderfully creative person! (The Wandering Weaver) 

She donated her sturdy cardboard weaving/yarn cones to me and I figured at some point they'd make a cool evergreen project or ice cream cone paper mache project, lol.

Students were challenged to think outside the box, use any material in the art studio and create their own tree. All three went with green, haha. 

I love how they all came out!!