Keep kids busy this winter with an indoor snowman activity. Great for all ages in any weather. Pairs well with Disney Frozen the original or Frozen 2 since our snowman is Olaf Inspired.
Materials Needed:
play dough: mostly white(the one pictured made 2 snowmen), a bit of orange and blue too
sticks: 2 arms (that end in a Y) and 1 hair piece that ends in 3 or 4 branches
candy eyes (pictured) or wiggle eyes or DIY with play dough the day before.
brown lanyard for the eyebrows
3 dry black beans for buttons
The nose and mouth will have to be prepared the day before so they are hard and dry before using them on the snowman.
NOSE: Orange play dough shaped into a carrot and dried. The technique is to make a snake and then round one end and point the other. Let dry overnight.
MOUTH: 1st make the blue smiley mouth shape. Then make a small white rectangle the size of 2 front teeth. Attach to the mouth using a toothpick. Use the toothpick to make an indented line between the 2 front teeth. Let dry overnight.
A little painters pallet is useful to keep all the parts organized.
Before you begin PICK your own STICKS: If the kids are old enough and the weather is nice enough take them outside to search for sticks. If not, this can be a great opportunity to get Dad involved. As you can see above. 2 sticks for the arms and one for the hair.
Toddlers will do best with a model and the balls already made. Start with 3 balls the same size, maybe an inch in diameter. Olaf is actually made with a head and a butt that are the same size, but the head is more oval in shape. Take the last ball, divide it in half. Make a ball that will be the mid section. Take the remaining clay and make the 2 feet. Prepare all of this just before the activity.
Hint: Using plastic trays as pictured keeps everything neat and tidy. Just make sure you leave space to work. Inside the container are the 5 balls of white snowman dough.
There is so much learning happening in this tiny activity. Identifying where the parts in the tray are on the model snowman. Figuring out the best order to put the snowman together. Plenty of fine motor skill building too.
Here are some of Olaf's new friends. The last one looks a little melted, but in his defense it was the 3rd go around with the parts. The rule is to keep the model snowman as he is.
Of course we would love to see your creations. Share them with us on facebook or instagram or even shoot us an email. Hope you are having as much fun this winter as we are!