Sensory Play: How to Make Pretend Snow in 2 Easy Steps

I am pretty sure my mom knows everything! She clued me into this great idea after attending a kindergarten teacher conference hosted by Steve Spangler…(I…

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I am pretty sure my mom knows everything! She clued me into this great idea after attending a kindergarten teacher conference hosted by Steve Spangler…(I know, I am jealous too!) I am so excited to share with you what she learned. It’s our new favorite sensory activity and is a great kick off to our winter activities (although we aren’t done sharing Thanksgiving yet, this was so cool I had to share now because I couldn’t wait for you to try it too! It glistens like real snow and all you have to do is add water… so simple, fun, and way cheaper then buying insta-snow it’s the perfect kind of activity!

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My kids played for at least an hour straight, which is an impressively long time for a preschooler and definitely impressive for a toddler.  I made sure to keep a close eye on him just in case. I gave the kids some small cups, small utensils, and their own bowl of pretend snow and let them play. They squished, scooped and dumped and even made some snowies as a yummy pretend treat. I was nervous that my little guy would try to eat it, but he didn’t. This is a supervise at all times activity. Please be careful, you don’t want it ingested!

We tried to form the snow into a castle and it didn’t work at first. We found out we had to let the snow sit in our cups to settle, then we could dump it out and it would hold its shape.

We added in some glass counters for more sensory fun. Once we get playing, the kids usually come up with fun ideas to try.

Now Let’s See Those Directions: How to Make Pretend Snow

For the photo I added some leftover winter decorations from  our Frozen Halloween costumes.

Supplies:
Clean diaper (I used 3 size 4 pull up diapers)
Water
Glitter (optional- but so fun!)
Bowl

Why yes I did say diaper :). Don’t worry it isn’t gross and it’s fine for little hands to play with. Just think, it’s safe enough for little bums so it should be fine for little hands (provided they aren’t allergic to disposable diapers). If you don’t want to use a diaper you can buy a jar of artificial insta-snow, or while prepping to write this activity I found a post by In The Play Room who has a great recipe for making sensory snow from scratch. She also explains the science behind the fun expanding white substance. Now let’s get to the reason you are here-Sensory Snow!


UPDATE: If you are against disposable diapers or your child may be at risk for skin irritation caused by diapers, this may not be the activity for you. We have plenty sensory play ideas here at A Little Pinch of Perfect including taste safe activities that come straight from food found in your kitchen. My children loved this activity and had no ill effects to playing with our “Sensory Snow.” My only intention of sharing this activity was for more kids to have fun.

Directions:
1.  Cut open the diaper, pull out the fluffy stuff inside, and place it into a bowl. Be prepared, it is a bit dusty. I made sure my kids did not help me during the dusty part. I also made sure the dust didn’t land on any food surfaces.

2.  Slowly add water and mix until all the fluff is all wet. Since all diapers are different, I am not exactly sure how much water you are going to need. I started out with 2 cups for 3 diapers, and then added more and lost track of how much. It took a surprising amount of water- after all, the fluff is made for absorption. The fluff will expand and feel so cool! You can pop it in the fridge to make it literally feel cool too.

I put our pretend snow in an air tight container in the fridge between uses. It’s been so fun to play with, I hope your kids enjoy it as much as I and my kids do. 🙂

We share a lot of sensory play around here, so be sure to check out what else we have been up to. Here are a few ideas to get you started:


 Build a Cloud (or could be a snow ball)

Looking for more great ideas? Follow our Play with Kids board on Pinterest. 

Thanks for visiting! Have a fun day 🙂
Love, Katie & the Kiddos

13 comments

  1. This is such a creative idea! I just wanted to let you know that I am linking to this post at my site if you don't mind. You are welcome to share your wonderful ideas at my site with a link back if you would like.

  2. Oh I love it and sure my Sensory seeker will too. I am featuring it on the Weekly Kids Co-op

  3. How's the clean up? When my diapers have broken open it was sticky, messy

    1. Hi Rachel, I didn't find it bad at all. I just washed everything off with water and put the snow in the garbage.

    1. Hi Emma, I soooooo agree!!! I have been wondering where the snow has been around here (UT), and now that it has started making an appearance I am wondering what I was so anxious about. I am so NOT a snow bunny, unless it's for sensory play inside :).

  4. Hi Heather, thanks so much for the share! I love popping in, and checking out the Krafts and Kiddos Facebook page! 🙂

  5. Thanks for the mention 🙂 I will have to try it with some diapers next time – great idea since we always have those in the house!

  6. I am so excited to try this! I've now read about how to make this 'snow' two times this past week and I'm anxious to try!!

    1. Hi Susen, I hope you enjoy! I saw it on the Science Kiddo's website too. I love how she added color to it!

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