Snowmen on Parade

It's that special time of the year to stop and admire and build some wonderful snowmen. You don't even have to wait for it to snow outside-why not build several snowpeople and make a parade of snowmen right in your own house?

You may want to start with one snowman and then make a new one to add to your collection each week. By the end of February you will have a wonderful collection of snowpeople for your parade. Or you could ask your entire family to each make a snowperson and have a collection of snowpeople by the end of your crafts day. Begin by following the directions and making a snowman of your own. Once you have completed your own snowman, you will be able to teach your family how to create them as well.

Materials needed:
Large white paper or poster board-11"x14" or 16"x20"
5 or 6 sheets of different colored paper
Scissors
Glue
2 pipe cleaners (different colors)
Crayon, markers or colored pencils
Stickers
Bow, ribbon or yarn
Buttons, packing noodles
Optional- any extras you may have around the house such as glitter, crafts sticks, fun foam scraps, etc.

Collect all of your materials and lay them out on your work table or floor before you begin your project. Start by drawing out the basic shape of your snowman. You could use three different size plates to trace the circle shapes. Remember to overlap the circles as you trace the plates so that they look like a real snowman. Once you have your basic snowman figure drawn, cut it out and then begin decorating him or her. I used colored construction paper for the hat and then I added stickers to decorate and add some border lines.

Next I stuck on some eyes made from packing foam. I used a slice of the foam to create a mouth and then I cut the circle shapes for the buttons. I used white glue to stick the foam pieces to my snowman. Using items like the foam pieces gives the snowman a nice 3-D effect.

Using an orange marker, I drew a sideways carrot nose. To make the snowman's arms I used some scraps from my poster board and drew two stick-like arms. You could also go outside and collect two light sticks from the yard if your parents feel that is okay. I used 2 pipe cleaners to make the broom for the snowman to hold. One whole pipe cleaner is for the handle; I cut the second pipe cleaner in half, twisted it around, and bent it to look like a broom or rake. I then folded a small part of the handle over to allow the broom to rest over the stick arm and added some glue to make it hold firm.

To complete my snowman I added a red ribbon bow tie for him to wear. The decorating ideas are endless. Use your own creative ideas and add any extras you may want to jazz up your snowper¬son. The idea is to have fun and use your imagination. Once you have fin¬ished, it's time for you to share your wonderful snowperson with your fami¬ly. I'm sure they will just love your handicraft. Now you can teach them how to make one. Let the parade of snowmen begin.

Article provided by Homesteader.