As you wipe a bead of cold sweat from your brow, you stop and admire your handiwork. The whole front of your property has been expertly shoveled. It wasn’t too hard considering you had powdery snow to work with. Now that you’re done, you want to entertain the kids. What can you make with powdery snow?
Things to Build with Powdery Snow:
- Craft a snow maze
- Make snow angels
- Build an igloo
- Make some snow castles
- Create yummy snow cones
- Snow-based ice cream
- Sledding Course
Although powdery snow is not as conducive to building snowmen as wetter, packed snow is, it’s not totally useless either. Read on for more information on the above six projects (two of which are completely edible) so you can have the snow day of a lifetime with the kids!
7 Things to Make in Powdery Snow Today
Snow Maze
If you have very young kids, then you’re in that phase where it doesn’t take much to entertain them. Relish in this time now, as it won’t last for very long.
When powdery snow is on the ground, it’s the ideal day to make a snow maze. Since you already shoveled the front yard, use the side yard or the backyard for the maze, as you need an area with virgin snow.
Using your shovel, create a path from one side of your yard all the way to the other.
Then add plenty of twists, turns, and dead-ends so it’s challenging to find one’s way out of the maze. If you wet some of the powdery snow using a garden hose or even a bucket of water and a tap, you can build tall walls throughout the whole maze to add an extra degree of difficulty.
However, even without the walls, a snow maze can still inspire awe from your kids. If you have other young’uns on your street, ask their parent’s permission for them to try the snow maze in your yard.
The kids could have hours of fun going through the maze and then doing it again. Make sure you come up with an incentivizing prize to inspire the kids to finish. A big, steaming cup of hot cocoa with plenty of extra mini marshmallows is the perfect prize for many a kid.
Snow Angels
Powdery snow is perfect for snow angels, much more so than wetter, heavier snow.
Making snow angels is one of those classic wintertime activities that kids and adults alike can enjoy. Find another area of undisturbed snow that’s ideally on your property. Then, lay down flat on your back.
Keep your arms and legs at your side initially, then spread them both simultaneously, flapping your arms and legs in a sweeping motion a few times. This motion creates the angel wings and the base of the angel’s body.
When you’re finished, slowly and gently sit up. Get on your feet and step to the side of where you made your snow angel so you don’t crush your new creation. You can always cover the snow where your foot made a print.
It takes about a minute to make a snow angel, so how do you keep inpatient kids engaged for longer? That’s simple: decorate your snow angel!
Related Reading: Tips to Make the Perfect Snow Angel
With kid-safe spray paint (which you can pick up at any craft store as well as online), spray your snow angel so it has some color. You’ll be able to notice all the fine details of your snow angel after spray-painting it.
Then you and the kids can take turns decorating your snow angels. Like you would when making a snowman, you can use accessories like googly eyes, carrots, buttons, glitter, and even jewelry if you want your snow angel to look chic. Just don’t use anything that you care about much, as staying out in the cold for days won’t be great for most jewelry.
Igloo
Considering that powdery snow is light, loose, and crumbly, it doesn’t sound like a good base to make an igloo. You’d be correct, it doesn’t. In this post, we talk about wetting powdery snow to make it more solid. Then it’s viable for building an igloo.
To recap that post, we recommend building the igloo near a water source such as a tap. You’ll need a bucket of water handy (or several buckets), as you should have a lot of wet snow for the job.
To build an igloo, measure out the space in your yard (you need at least 12 inches) and make an outline.
Build the base with snow and then keep stacking wet snow atop wet snow to make the walls. Remember not to build walls that are straight up, as igloos are curvy. The entrance of the igloo should be narrower than the base but not so tight that your kids can’t safely get in or out.
You’ll be the mom or dad of the year when you build the kids their very own igloo. They won’t be able to wait to play it in and brag about it to all their friends. Don’t be surprised when it’s sundown and the kids still don’t want to leave the igloo!
Further Reading: How to Make Powdery Snow Sticky
To keep the igloo in good condition for a second day of fun tomorrow, we recommend misting the exterior with a hose. This will allow the igloo to solidify overnight.
Snow Castles
Here’s another viable activity for younger kids: make snow castles. Yes, that’s right, we said snow castles, not sandcastles.
If you know where your summer equipment is, then pull out a few of the kids’ favorite sandcastle molds. Fill the mold with snow and then see how your creation comes out. With powdery snow, the snow crystals might not stick together well enough to create an identifiable shape.
In that case, then with a bit of water, the snow will pack together much better. Your snow castle will now have much more detail to it. Like you did with the snow angels, you and the kids can spray-paint the snow castle and decorate it.
If a small snow castle isn’t cutting it, you can always buy bigger molds that are intended for use in snow. The Create a Castle kit on Amazon is 10 inches. The mold is designed to produce stable snow creations that won’t tip over in the first strong wind of the day.
Snow Cones
Snow cones really do use ice as a base, so why not recreate this treat from the comfort of your own home with some snow?
The kids will have oodles of fun going through your yard looking for snow to gather. We always recommend digging several inches deep into the snow rather than using surface snow. The deeper snow is a lot cleaner.
Check that the surface snow is pure, i.e., with no rocks or ice chunks in it. Have the kids bring the snow inside and store it in the freezer until you need it.
Then you have to make the syrup. Since this is where the flavor of a snow cone comes from, the syrup must be tasty.
To make orange flavoring, Spoon University uses a real orange. Squeeze the juice of the orange. You should procure about ¼ of a cup of juice. If you want a milder orange flavor, then use less of the juice.
Next, combine the orange juice with ¼ cup of water and 1/3rd cup of sugar, boiling the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. In about 10 minutes, the ingredients should become thick and syrup-like.
Take the syrup off the stovetop, let it cool, and pour it on the snow. Then serve.
If you’d rather use strawberry syrup, lifestyle blog My Mini Adventurer combines eight ounces of sliced strawberries with a cup of sugar and a cup of water. Again, stir and boil the ingredients until they make syrup.
To remove the chunks of strawberry, you can pass the syrup through a sieve or strainer. For older kids and adults, feel free to keep the strawberry chunks in.
You can make your snow cones more Day-Glo colors with a few drops of food coloring.
Snow-Based Ice Cream
Why stop at snow cones when you can make ice cream using snow as well? The tasty vanilla ice cream only utilizes a few ingredients, so it’s quick to make and healthier too since you know everything going into it.
Inspiring Savings, a lifestyle blog, makes their snow ice cream with six to eight cups of snow. We again caution you to only use pure, clean snow that’s several inches deep into the snow pile if you plan to consume snow. You also need half a cup of sugar, a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, a cup of milk, and sprinkles for garnish.
Measure out the non-snow ingredients first, mixing them together. Use very cold milk for best results, then freeze.
Once you get your snow in the house, take out the mixing bowl and stir in the snow. As you continue stirring, the ingredients will take on the consistency of ice cream. Toss a few sprinkles and then serve.
Snow-based ice cream melts a lot faster than the store-bought stuff, so don’t delay in eating it as soon as it’s ready.
Sledding Course
An all time favorite winter activity is snow sledding. My kids spend hours making sledding courses when it snows. With a few essential tools like shovels and your creative energy, you can transform a snowy hill into a customized sledding course. The idea is to shape the landscape to maximize the sledding experience.
To make the sledding course more exciting, you can create jumps and turns along the path. These features add an element of surprise and adventure to each run down the hill. Kids, in particular, love the thrill of catching air as they go over jumps.
While any type of sled can be used, many families, like ours, prefer inflatable sleds for a couple of reasons. They tend to be faster, thanks to their smooth undersides, and they don’t dig into the snow as much, allowing for a smoother glide.
However, traditional sleds can work just as well, and the choice ultimately comes down to personal preference.
The beauty of creating a sledding course is that it not only offers an incredibly fun winter activity but also keeps the kids busy and entertained for hours on end. This kind of outdoor play encourages physical activity, laughter, and the creation of cherished memories.
As you set out to build and enjoy your sledding course, remember to prioritize safety. Ensure that the course is free of any obstacles or hazards, and instruct your kids on how to sled safely. It’s also a good idea for everyone to wear appropriate winter gear, including helmets, to minimize the risk of injury.
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Final Thoughts
Powdery snow is good for plenty, even if that doesn’t include making snowballs or snowmen. With some water, you can make snow castles or an igloo. It doesn’t get better than powdery snow for making snow angels.
Feeling hungry? The consistency of powdery snow makes it the perfect addition to homemade ice cream or snow cones.
Now that you have plenty of ideas for using powdery snow, you can bring the family together in unique ways this winter.