It’s winter and the weather is cold in lots of places! If you happen to live in a place with snow, I’m sure you’ve offered a little bit of it to your children for sensory discovery. But if you live in a warmer climate, how can your children play with snow? Good news: there are some great recipes for Fake Snow! And since real snow is cold, children may enjoy the fake snow even better.
Easy Fake Snow Recipes
Check out these easy recipes for a fun snow alternative!
- Baking Soda and Water: Start with a cup of water and a 1/4 cup of baking soda. Add the baking soda to a small bowl and slowly add water until it makes the right consistency. Place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes to give it that cold snow temperature!
- Baking Soda, Corn Starch and Water: Place 1 cup each of baking soda and corn starch in a bowl. Add water by the tablespoon a little at a time, until you reach the right consistency. If you add too much water, don’t fret: just put in a little more corn starch to firm up your mixture. You can place this substance in the freezer for a few minutes too! (But not too long as you don’t want it to actually freeze.
- Baking Soda and Hair Conditioner: (Use this recipe with older two’s that won’t try to taste it!) Place 5 cups of baking soda in a bowl and then slowly add white colored hair conditioner. Mix it well and have fun! You can place the conditioner in the fridge beforehand if you want a ‘cooler’ experience. Please remind children not to try tasting this snow!
- Shaving Cream and Baking Soda – This one is only for home or IF you’re in a state that allows the use of shaving cream for preschool children! See this article from the Ooey Gooey Lady about Shaving Cream and why it actually should be permitted. Mix one cup of shaving cream with one cup of baking soda. This one will smell wonderful!
No matter which of these activities you try, the important thing to know is that children love sensory play! Talk to them about how the substance feels. What can they do with it? Are there tools or other items that can be added for variety? Just remember: If you can change things up with the season and offer different sensory materials, the novelty will be irresistible to your children!
We only started with Fake Snow here. What other ideas for winter sensory play have you tried? Please tell us in the comments!