Last year we made candy cane playdough as gifts for kiddo friends. This year we've been making playdough snowmen in mason jar snow globes. Next year we'll probably try a non-playdough idea, but we've sure had fun with these last two.
Maia and I made a batch of white playdough on Friday (here's the recipe). We kneaded in glitter and peppermint oil to add some pizzazz to the plain playdough then started making snowmen (and snowballs and snowforts...).
We took a break to buy some beads (from Asheville's awesome bead store) and a box of mason jars and continued yesterday when Maia's friend Marlise was over.
We all fashioned the playdough into little snowmen using beads and pipecleaner pieces for features. I added the pipecleaners to the table expecting them to be used for arms (you know, two per snowman) and that's it. Instead they were immensely popular and were used for hair, antennae, smiles, and extra arms.
Daphne, at two, was as into making the snowmen as the six year olds.
Here's one of her snowmen sitting on the mason jar lid waiting for the "snow globe" jar to be screwed on (the pipecleaner appendages needed to be poked a bit farther in first so they would fit). The jars are pint-size wide-mouth mason jars from the grocery store.
I printed up some gift tags to glue to the jar tops. If I were extra prepared, I could have printed them on sticker paper, but instead I just used printer paper and a glue stick. Here's a pdf of the gift tags in case you'd like to use them.
I love how these snowmen look in their snow globes! And, as a gift, it is as fun for kids to make as it is for their friends to receive.
And of course you could do this as a craft activity without turning them into gifts...
If you liked these candy cane lollipops, then you might like the other winter and holiday crafts and recipes in The Artful Winter ebook:
