How to make holiday snowmen with your kids

Are your children crafty but you don’t have the extra cash to come up with the supplies? Here is a great way to make an afternoon of a craft that keeps giving. Holiday snowmen done up from regular household items. Your children will be none the wiser and love every minute of it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• socks
• fiber fill
• dried beans
• string
• buttons
• markers
• glue, hot glue works best

1. The first thing that you need is all those odds and ends socks that have been being chased around the house for the past year. You know the ones that no one will wear because its mate has a hole in it. Or the ones you keep at the bottom of your laundry basket knowing that the dryer monster that ate them may give in and return the matching sock some day. Face it, you don’t need them and the kids do for their craft.
2. Next you will need something that will keep without turning on you that is already dried. Try that bag of dried beans that you have been saving for forever to make soup but never will. Macaroni noodles work too. I bought a whole 5 pound bag of beans in the bulk section of my local super market for under $2.
3. Next you need some fiber fill. This is debatable. You could go buy some or use an old pillow. They are super cheap at the thrift store or fold another sock over and over into a ball. Either way you need something light to take up some space.
4. Next collect those markers and highlighter from around the house. That’s right; dig the one or two out of the couch, out from under the curtains, and check behind the dryer. You know the kids have some still hidden even if they are outlawed. Most dollar stores carry these for you guessed it one dollar. You will also need something to tie off. String, garbage bag ties, or rubber bands work well here. Hey got some hair ties that have lost their elastic. They work great.
5. The last item you will need is buttons, or pom-poms, or anything small and round. Ok get in your closet. You know the clothing you have been saving since you were 16 and might fit into. Time to give them up or at least the buttons! Most shirts have a few extra sewn in the inside which comes in handy if you are not a frequent button loser.
6. Take your sock and dump the beans in the bottom filling it 1/3 full. Tie it off and put in the other socks or fiber fill tying it off in three sections; one with beans and the other two with the lighter stuff. Fold the top down over the last circle and this will become a hat. Set the kids to work gluing and drawing faces for their snowmen. Because the beans are so heavy compared to the other half your snowmen will stay upright. Each one is different no matter how many times you do this craft. I let the kids make them and give them away as gifts. I keep one each year and set them all out together on the bar so you can see how their imagination has grown from year to year.
7. And by the way smile. Have the kids put on the jeans with the holes that you were going to throw out and the shirt that has the stain you have tried to get out for the last time. Put them on the tile in the kitchen and between a broom, mop, a trash can, and a bath clean up time is 10 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to fill the second part of the snowman too full. Otherwise he will end up with a backache from being top heavy all the time.
• Snowmen can be women too. Remind your children. Boys may not think it is cool but will be all for it if they realize they can make the whole snow family.
• The longer you distract them the more quiet time you get!
• If you do this more then one weekend you can get some help with the laundry telling the kids if they fold all the other clothes you will give them the mismatch socks.
• Very addicting watch your socks or the kids may start using them all including the new ones. LOL.