Mama's Little Homeschool: Scrappy Snowmen Craft

Through the entire month of December I have been reminded that while the winter weather has been on our doorstep for quite some time now, it is still fall. Thankfully, tomorrow I will be able to officially let my little learners know that it's now winter. That's right, now our calendar in the classroom will no longer be lying to us about falling leaves and cool temperatures, because it is indeed winter and we have been crafting away inside for quite sometime now.

So, I'm breaking out this adorable "Scrappy Snowmen" craft to celebrate. They might have cost me pennies to make, and they actually make cute gifts too. I didn't realize how giftable(?) they were until my sweet boy showed his off to Grandpa and said "here, it's for you" - totally unprompted. He truly understands that this season is about giving and for that I could not be more proud.

Anyway, enough with the sappy and onto the scrappy!

I love a fun craft that fits 3 qualifications:

1) It follows a good book or has some sort of literacy component

2) It's cheap to make and/or I don't have to go out and buy new materials

3) The kids can do it with minimal assistance

This craft fits all three requirements and gets bonus points for used recycled materials and collaborating two different books. Below you'll find the ones I used, but I'm sure there are other snowman books that would work, too.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Snowman!" by Wolfram Hanel, illustrated by Judith Rossell

I got this for free with a coupon from Scholastic Book Clubs. The edition I have includes the audiobook disc, which is a nice way to enjoy the book in a slightly different format.

"The First Day of Winter" by Denise Fleming was another freebie from Scholastic. I love their awesome deals and coupons! This book features counting through the making of a snowman (ex. three buttons) and is a super easy way to extend this craft into a math activity as well.

First, collect your materials. Scraps work just fine for this craft because you don't need much of anything. Tacky glue and safety scissors work well, but I learned the hard way that you'll want a sharper pair of shears for the felt. I was honestly just being lazy using my son's safety scissors to cut out a felt tree afterward...and I received a lovely "V" shaped wound to the finger as the result.

To decorate the snowman, you can really get creative with choosing your "scraps" but I went with basics: google eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, some old counting cubes, felt, and ribbon scraps.

I love making felt stories for the boys and I always have lots of felt of all shapes, colors, and sizes on hand. I was not surprised that both boys chose purple hats for their snowmen, it's my favorite color, too! :)

For the body of the snowman, just save and rinse out empty plastic "puff" containers. You know, the ones you feed your baby when you need them to be occupied on car rides, at church, or while eating out. They may also eat them as a meal or three, been there, no judgment. ;)

Cut a small slid and then the kids can practice unwrapping gifts by taking the wrapper off the container.

And viola! It's the perfect blank canvas for a snowman.

Use the tacky glue to affix the face.

Noah felt instant kinship with his snowman.

Funny faces welcome.

Finally, add the finishing touches. These would make sweet teacher or grandparent gifts with a little sign that says "You Make Me Melt," "Some People or Worth Melting For," or "Happy Holidays to a Cool Teacher."