top of page

Bundle Up! It's Time to Play in the Snow

Sculpt with snow! It’s amazing stuff that you can use to build everything from forts to sculptures. In winter, try your hand at a classic: snow people. Or try a twist with snow animals. Enjoy the white powder and bring out your inner architect, artist and adventurer! 


Kids making snow people in the snow.
(Photo via Shutterstock)

Any little snow is an excuse to get out there and create a snow person. You can make a single snow person or a whole snow family. Get started by packing some snow together in a snowball. Pack some more until it becomes difficult to carry, then start rolling it around until you make a massive ball. Repeat the process until you have a big, medium and small balls of snow. Carefully stack the medium ball on top of the large ball. Add the smallest to the top as a head. 


Now it’s time to decorate. Grab supplies from nature – some pebbles, fallen twigs, leftover leaves, acorns buried under the snow. Use all these bits and bobs to create eyes, a mouth, arms, jacket buttons and anything else your imagination whips up.


You can also use scarves, mittens and carrots from your home. Just remember that anything left outside may be lost for good. Don’t leave anything behind that you aren’t prepared to live without.


The three-ball snow person is the classic, but you can change things up however you like. In fact, you can even make a snow animal! This animal can be something that you saw in a zoo or in a trip far from home. Is it your pet? It can even be from your imagination. Is it a mashup of different animal parts?


A duck carved out of snow with a real mallard for comparison.
(Photo via Shutterstock)

Or you can take inspiration from the animals that call Will County home in winter. Watch from your window. Bundle up and hang out quietly in your yard or a park. Go for a walk to see what you can see. Who is out? How are they moving? How are they staying warm?


Now sculpt your animal. You can use the snow person ball method to get the approximate shape of your animal. Say it’s a bird. Make a large ball for its belly and then a smaller ball for its head. Or you can just pile up a bunch of snow to make a sculpture.


Don’t forget to add details! A stick makes an excellent carving tool. You can create feathers or patterns or wings or legs with this.


What can you find for a tail? Eyes? A beak or a mouth? You can carve all the details. Or add bits of nature like a leaf or a dried grass to complete your sculpture. 


While you’re outside getting creative, don’t forget to bundle up. Winter weather means you need to wear a winter coat, snow boots, gloves and a hat. Snow pants will let you play for a lot longer without needing to go inside. Take a break when you need it and warm up indoors. Who knows, there might be hot chocolate!


Have blast making your snow people and snow animals. You can only have this kind of fun in winter!

____________


Follow Willy's Wilderness on Facebook for more kid-friendly nature stories and activities.

Comentários


Os comentários foram desativados.
bottom of page