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Making Snowflakes

We woke up to snow yesterday. The boys could not have been more thrilled. Or more nutty. Honestly, snow brings out the crazies in kids.

The first snow of the season means that we must go outside to play. And I had it all planned-out: both boys had school in the morning, then Ben had physical therapy right after lunch. So, my plan was to go outside to play after PT – play, make a snowman, throw snowballs – then, come inside for hot cocoa and the Polar Express, which Ben and Nicholas have been begging to watch since October.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. By the time PT was done all those great, big, beautiful snowflakes had turned to rain. It was a wet, cold, slushy mess outside. The grass was peeking through the white. Playing in the snow was out. The boys were crushed.

So, what to do? Well, if we couldn’t go out in the snow to play, I decided that we would bring the snow, or at least snowflakes, inside to us. We made Borax Snowflakes. Have you ever made them? The boys and I do every year. They are simple, fun, and a cheap way to keep the kids busy for an hour or so. And the end result is pure magic. Check out this link for instructions to make your own.

Here’s some of the fun we had making ours:

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Twisting the pipe-cleaners into snowflake shapes.

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Our snowflakes, ready to be dipped.

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Borax goes into the cup.

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We added boiling water and food coloring, then left our snowflakes to crystalize overnight.

This morning, we had beautiful snowflakes. As the water cooled, the Borax formed crystals on the pipe-cleaners (why not add a little science to all that magic?).

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Nicholas shows-off his snowflake.

Not a bad snow day, in the end.

xo Naomi

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