You can sculpt a snowman even without real snow by whipping soap flakes and water into a dough-like paste. Kids who enjoy playdough tend to love this one.
The mixture firms up fast, so have all your decorations ready before you start. This craft pairs well with other winter projects on our crafts page.
What you need
- 2 cups Ivory Snow soap flakes (or a similar pure soap flake product)
- 1/2 cup water
- Toothpicks
- Small sticks or popsicle sticks for arms
- Buttons or small beads for eyes
- Felt scraps or yarn for a scarf and earmuffs
- Pipe cleaners
Steps
- An adult mixes the soap flakes and water with a hand mixer until the mixture is about the thickness of stiff dough.
- Working quickly before it firms up, shape it into three balls of decreasing size for the body, middle, and head.
- Stack the balls and push a toothpick down through each layer to hold them together.
- Push in sticks for arms and press on buttons or beads for eyes.
- Add a felt scarf, pipe cleaner earmuffs, and a folded pipe cleaner nose.
Safety
An adult should run the mixer, since the soap mixture can splash and the beaters can pinch small fingers. The toothpicks have sharp points, so an adult should push them in for children under about 5, and the finished snowman is not edible even though it is made from soap.
Once your snowman is done, look for more winter projects on our crafts page to make a matching card or ornament.