Kids Crafts: Whimsy Snowman and Snowgirl

I didn't know about snowman until I read about it in high school. I had not seen snow until I graduated from high school when I got a chance to go up to Siddhabari camp in the Himalayas.

Now, in the past 15 years, I've lived in Ohio and Indiana for a few years at a stretch, where about 6 months out of a year we have snow - and knee-deep snow in winters to wade through. Not the awful skin-biting winds and bitter cold that I experienced year after year in Massachusetts, but the cool freshness of light and invigorating snowfall was quite a glorious experience.

I love the crisp powdery snow on the grey-brown branches and the white-capped evergreens. A view of my backyard _^  ^{and front yard} fills me with awe at Nature's artistry.

I guess I liked the snowy winters because of the fact that I didn't have a car and was within walking distance from school so I didn't have to deal with shoveling the driveway, driving on icy roads and, of course, de-icing the car and making it start up and run safely. Now that I have to cart the kids around, I am re-weighing the beauty vs. hindrance of snowfall...

A couple of posts ago I had wistfully mentioned a crackling fire, hot spiced cider and lots of snow to complete the idyllic picture of Christmas for me. Seems like I have to be careful what I wish for: We got a ton of snow over the last 10 days and it is still coming down, keeping us tied indoors shaking our heads at our lack of planning and shopping for supplies as well as Christmas presents for the kids...

Ana's school was closed most of last week, so, we had plenty of time to do a few different activities at home. Now, I might have subliminally influenced her with books and songs, or perhaps Ana has her own mind which chose to love, simply Love, Snowman!

So, that was our subject for the activities. We made a few cloth snowmen stuffed with standard washable polyester fiberfill. They didn't turn out great - just an honest effort at making little tiny snowman toys for hanging on the tree...

And we made a couple of snowman cards.

Items used: Card stock paper, craft glue, cotton balls, googly-eyes, toothpick for nose, standard thin 8x11 foam sheet in off-white or white, scrap fleece and cotton fabric, green construction paper, twigs for arms, and, assorted buttons and beads.

We made a tree out of green construction paper;
Cut out snowman shape from white or off-white foam sheet;
Used fabric to make coat and other clothing for snowman/snow-woman;
Used the fleece to make hat and scarf to give it the extra texture and feel of winter;
Used the cotton balls to make snow;
Used twigs for arms;
Used some buttons to decorate;
Used the tiny glass beads to add shimmer to the snowfall in the background;

Basically, this project is only limited by imagination and available items.

Ana helped make cards last year - mostly creative input and a bit of help with the glue while I did the card. But this year, she took the driver's seat and I simply assisted/guided her. I got materials together - like cutting the round foam pieces for snowman/snowgirl, cutting the various fabric needed for hat, scarf and clothing. I did gently instruct her about placement of eyes, nose and mouth, and the usage of glass beads, other than that, I simply helped her with the glue and let her create the card and finish it to her satisfaction.