SNOWFLAKE GARLAND

Every snowflake is special. Create your own unique winter-themed garland as you practice your fine motor skills and explore symmetry!

Materials

• Cupcake liners
• Scissors
• Yarn/Ribbon
• Tape

Directions

• Take a cupcake liner and fold it in half. Fold it in half again, and then one more time! Your cupcake liner should now look like a small piece of pie.
• Use the scissors to cut pieces of your cupcake liner out. Try turning and twisting the scissors to create different shapes on all sides of your cupcake liner
• Once you’re done cutting, carefully unfold your cupcake liner, and look at the fantastic patterns you have created!
• Repeat this until you have as many snowflakes as desired
• Take a piece of yarn or ribbon and cut it to the desired length of your garland. Use tape to attach the snowflakes along the length of your yarn or ribbon
• Hang your finished garland up for all to see!

Spark Creative Learning!

• When symmetry exists within an object, it means that its two halves are exactly the same. If you were to draw a line down one of your snowflakes, would both halves be symmetrical? Why is that? What would you have to do in order to create a snowflake that wasn’t symmetrical?
• With different colours and shapes, patterns abound! Once you unfold your snowflake, what kinds of patterns have appeared? Extend your pattern making skills even further by using markers to create even more patterns on your finished snowflakes!
• Polygons, quadrilaterals, and more! What kinds of shapes can you explore as you create patterns in your snowflakes? Brainstorm a list of shapes together with your family, and try and cut each of them out of your snowflake. How do these shapes look when you unfold your snowflake? Do they look as you expected?
• Head outside to look at snowflakes for yourself! Use a magnifying glass, or get nice and close. Can you try and replicate any of the designs you see?