When it snows, one of the first things most kids want to do is make a snowman. Extending this desire to craft projects that kids can do indoors is a good stand-by for when their hands get too cold to handle any more real snow.
Snowmen make good themes for table centre pieces. They are simple to make from cotton wool and some recycled materials. To make a single snowman you will need a large yoghurt carton (approximately 1 pint size), some newspaper, sticky tape, a sheet of card, some coloured construction paper, cotton wool, and PVA adhesive and a thick paint brush. PVA adhesive is the type of adhesive that is non-toxic, is white when wet and dries clear.
Cover your work surface with newspaper. Put some of the PVA into a shallow dish or plastic tray. Pull off some small pieces of cotton wool and stick them all the way around the outside of the yoghurt pot. If you have a pleat of cotton wool you may just want to cut a section that will fit all the way around the yoghurt pot and glue that in place. Leave the top of the yoghurt pot clear for now.
Scrunch up a ball of newspaper and hold in place with a few bits of sticky tape. Cover this ball with cotton wool, leaving a small clear portion. Make a sticky tape loop, with the sticky on the outside. Press this down onto the top of the yoghurt pot.
Press the clear portion of the newspaper ball onto the top of the yoghurt pot sticky tape. Now glue more cotton wool around the join. You should now have a basic snowman shape. This can be repeated with any size of yoghurt pot or similar container, to make a whole family of snowmen.
To dress your snowman, cut small discs from a sheet of black construction paper for buttons, eyes and a mouth. Cut a triangle with a convex base from orange construction paper, roll into a cone and secure with a small piece of sticky tape. Glue in place to form a carrot nose.
For the snowman's hat, cut a disc of black construction paper slightly smaller than the diameter of the snowman's head. Cut a rectangle of black construction paper that when rolled into a circle is smaller in diameter than the larger disc. Secure the rectangle with a small piece of tape. Cut slots into one long edge of the rectangle tube and fold these tabs inwards. Add glue to the bottom of the tabs and stick to the large disc to form a top hat.
You can also knit or crochet a simple scarf for the snowman or teach your child how to knit or crochet one. Tie the scarf loosely around his neck. For a snowlady, you could knit or crochet a shawl instead of a hat.
Fix your snowman to the sheet of card with glue. Then glue more cotton wool onto the base for snow and add a small sprinkling of glitter.
This winter tableau makes a great decoration for your dinner table, mantle piece or window sill, or can be given as a gift to a friend or family member.