by Susan Hibberd

Created on: December 28, 2010

It’s great to be able to match your kids craft activities to the weather because it really helps them to get into the mood.

When it’s snowy outside, what better theme than igloos? Snowy, cold, or rainy weather makes you want to curl up in the warm.  Help your kids make their own igloo pictures, models or even a real igloo for a little bit of winter magic indoors.

Firstly, you will need to make sure your child knows what an igloo is. Let them watch some episodes of the cartoon Pingu, or another cartoon which features igloos. A trip to the local library will help you find picture books about homes around the world, which you can use to teach your child about igloos.

Once your child knows what an igloo is like, and what it is for, you can start making some of your own.

Igloo Pictures

Igloo pictures can be made very easily using navy or black background paper/card and white paint.

Start your child off with a horizon line about a third of the way down the page. This gives a small sky area and a lot of area for making a snow scene.  Dilute white paint to make snow on the ground and fluffy clouds in the sky. 

Next, mix up some thicker white paint. Use square sponge shapes to print ice blocks to make your igloo.  Add figures afterwards to make the scene more realistic.

A blizzard of snow can be added with a brush dipped in thinned white paint and flicked at the page, or a toothbrush flicked across the surface. This is quite a messy activity and should only by used in a protected area!

Igloo Collage

Igloo collage pictures can be made in a variety of ways, using whatever materials you have at hand.

Using white backing paper, let your child swirl watercolor paints across the top half to represent the aurora borealis.

Next, sketch out an igloo shape for them using an ordinary pencil.  Let them fill in the igloo shape by gluing on white shapes. Use whatever you have to hand – white squares you have cut out of card, punched white paper shapes, cotton wool balls or even marshmallows.

Use one of the cotton wool balls or marshmallows to paint big fluffy snowflakes over the finished picture.

Igloo Model

You can make a great igloo model out of sugar cubes, gluing the layers together with icing as you go. Form the igloo over an upturned bowl that can be removed when the icing is set.

Alternatively, try making an igloo with real ice cubes. This will freeze little fingers, but will show them how real igloos are made! Glue the cubes together with a sprinkling of salt.

Igloo Den

If you can find a big pile of empty boxes, your child can make a life-sized igloo to play in.  Simply pile the boxes up and let them play inside. Throw a white sheet over the outside to make it look snowy. No need to paint the inside– just let them use a lot of imagination.

Igloos really seem to catch the imagination of kids everywhere. Let them tap into this enthusiasm and use their creativity in these fun craft activities.

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