Aurora Borealis Chalk Pastel Lesson

The Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights as they are commonly called, is a natural light display that can be seen particularly in the higher latitudes of the Arctic.  These lights give the horizon a greenish or sometimes reddish glow.  The following art lesson creates a tree line and glowing lights with the use of stencils and chalk pastels.  Children preschool age to early elementary will enjoy completing this lesson to create the Northern Lights.

Vocabulary to Introduce:
Aurora Borealis

stencil

chalk pastels

Materials:

-cardstock/poster board for stencil making

-scissors

-chalk pastels or chalk in various colors

-q-tip/cotton balls/blending stumps for smearing

-black construction paper

-aerosol hairspray or fixative

Preparation:

 Create two stencils using the cardstock one for the tree line and one for the glow of the Northern Lights.  The tree line stencil is simply triangle tops of varying size.  If you wish to add detail to the trees you can snip out sections of the tree tops.  The stencil for the Northern Lights is simply a wavy line.  For younger children you may want to add tape to the stencil as they have a difficult time keeping a stencil in place on their own.  Older children may cut the stencils themselves.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process:

Winter Silhouette

The following lesson is a painting that uses tints of blue to create a winter sky.  Black paint is used to create tracks in the snow that lead to the silhouette of person sledding.  This is a great way for children to explore adding white to a color while creating a beautiful and simple piece of artwork.

Vocabulary to Introduce:
tint
silhouette

Materials:

-tempera paint (blue, white, black)

-brush

-masking/painters tape

-paper plate (for tint mixing)

Preparation:

Using scissors cut a curved line for the horizon from masking or painters tape.  Place this in the bottom third portion of the picture.  This aids in maintaining a clean line for the impression of snow while the curved lines of the sky are painted.  On the paper plate place three varying amounts of blue paint.  Next place white paint of varying amounts in two of the blue paint portions for the students or child to mix on their own.  Add a small amount of black for the silhouette of the sledder, the tree, and the footprints.  Place a small amount of water in a cup for rinsing brushes on top of a paper towel next to the paper.

Our YouTube Video demonstrating the process: