All this one needs is snow that packs and an hour outside. MR. HOMESCHOOL builds the whole thing with his son in the trees behind the house, from the first hand-packed snowball to a finished snowman in a top hat with a corncob pipe.
The part worth copying is the order he works in. Three balls, biggest at the bottom, each rolled over ground that still has fresh snow on it. The seams get packed before any decoration goes on, which is why this snowman is still standing at the end of the video instead of wearing its own head on the ground.
How to tell if the snow will pack
Squeeze a handful in your glove. If it holds together as a ball and keeps the print of your fingers, you are good. If it runs through your fingers like sugar, it is too cold and too dry, and no amount of rolling will fix it.
The best days sit right around freezing, often the afternoon after a snowfall when the sun has softened the top layer. Slushy snow packs too, but it is heavy and the balls get big fast, so stop sooner than you think.
Stuck with powder? Mist the starter snowball from a spray bottle of water. A little moisture on the outside is enough to get the first layers to stick.
What to use for the face and clothes
Stones, a carrot and sticks are the classic set, but anything dark and a bit heavy works. Swaps that hold up outdoors:
- Eyes and buttons: bottle caps, lumps of coal, big buttons, walnuts
- Nose: a red pepper, a pine cone, or a short stick if the carrot is going in the soup
- Arms: any forked branch, or an old broom so he has something to hold
- Clothes: an old scarf, a knit hat, a pair of mittens pushed onto the stick ends
Skip anything you want back in good shape. Wool dries fine. A good felt hat will not.
Building one with small kids
Scale it down. A snowman that comes up to a four-year-old's waist is one they can roll most of by themselves, and they will be prouder of it than of a big one you did all the lifting on.
Give each kid a job. One rolls the head, one hunts for stones and sticks, one packs the seams. Take breaks inside to warm up - wet gloves get cold fast, and that is usually what ends the fun.
Making a snow family
Once you have the method down, a row of snowmen in different sizes looks great from the window. Roll the small ones last, when the snow near the house is used up, and set them close together. Give each one something different to wear so you can tell them apart from the street.
Making it last
Sun and warm wind are what finish a snowman. Build in the shade of the house or trees if you can. Keep the outside smooth and the hat on, and after a warm day pack fresh snow into any cracks at the seams. On a cold night it refreezes and ends up harder than the day you built it.
Common mistakes
- A middle ball that is too big. It will not lift, and if it does it crushes the base.
- Rolling in a straight line. You get a barrel that will not stack.
- Building on a slope. The base creeps downhill and the whole stack leans.
- Skipping the seams. The head is the first thing to fall off.
- Arms and nose pushed in shallow. Go deep or they drop overnight.
Snow that will not pack? Fake snow gives you something to build with indoors. For more winter making there is a snow globe, a paper snowflake and a yarn pom pom to top a snowman hat you get to keep.
