Lesson to teach students how to make paper snowflakes from different paper material. As well, ideas to incorporate the craft into a variety of subject areas.

Making paper snowflakes is a winter tradition for many families and schools. Paper snowflakes can be integrated into a math or language art lesson. First students need to understand the basics of creating a snowflake before they can be utilized for other lessons.

Making Paper Snowflakes

Paper Selection: Often the most accessible paper is plain white paper, but an assortment of paper can be used. Best to use lightweight papers, as the heavier papers are difficult to fold and cut. An environmental solution is to use newspapers, or recyclable paper to create your paper snowflake. It is best to use recyclable paper for the first trials on making a paper snowflake. Newspaper is a good paper to use as it is easy to fold and to cut the folds.

1. Once you have selected your paper you must fold or cut it into a square. If the paper is a rectangle you can make it into a square by taking one bottom corner and folding it to the other side, to make a triangle. Once you have made the fold, there will be one triangle and rectangle strip. Cut off the rectangle strip.

2. Open the triangle to see that you have a perfect square. Refold the square, into a triangle. Make another fold by bringing one of the triangles points to the other side to make a smaller triangle.

3. Lightly fold the triangle in half and mark the center of the new triangle. Unfold the triangle. Take one end of the triangle fold to the center of the triangle, excess paper will be at the bottom of the triangle. Next, take the triangle point on the opposite side and fold it to the center. As well, there will be an excess of paper. Cut off the excess paper at the bottom to make one triangle.

4. A small triangle is left with straight edges. Cut the bottom of the triangle to make the edge more round.

5. Design a pattern on your folded triangle. Be careful not to cut all of one sides, otherwise the paper snowflake will no longer be one piece. As well, you can make cuts at the top point of the snowflake, but cutting this piece you will design the center of the snowflake. Paper snowflake instruction video.

6. Paper snowflake is complete and it is time to add sparkle to make the snowflake come alive. Snowflakes can be painted white or apply glue to attach sprinkles and sparkles.

7. Once the snowflake is complete, glue it to a card, hang it on the Christmas tree, or have them softly fall on the window.

Language Art Lesson

Students make a snowflake and write detailed instructions on how to create a snowflake. Teacher demonstrates how to make a snowflake but does not give written instructions. In a later class, students will receive a paper snowflake instruction and must only follow the instructions to create a snowflake.

Students write a story about the life of a snowflake. How it feels falling from the sky or its role in creating a snowman. The life of a snowflake is for creative writing.

Teacher reads a story about snowflakes and winter.

Math Lesson

Teacher gives specific instructions on the size of the square to begin making the paper snowflake. As well, he may indicate how many cuts are allowed. Students may make a variety of different sizes and shapes of snowflakes.

Teacher gives a mini lesson on the qualities of a triangle, square, and rectangle.

Science Lesson

Students learn about how snowflakes are created.

Art Lesson

Students glue the snowflake to a piece of construction paper and make a card. Students do a collage of different sized, color, and snowflake shapes.