Homemade Snow Globes

Decorating your homeschool for the holidays? Homemade Christmas snow globes are inexpensive, easy-to-make winter crafts that are especially fun for children. Great to give as homemade Christmas gifts or keep for your own decorations, these snow globes capture the fascination of people of all ages.

Materials You'll Need:

Clear glass jar with a tight fitting lid (baby food, pickle, jelly)
Tiny waterproof figurine or small plastic toy
Clear sealant (aquarium, silicone, or florist clay)
Egg shells, sequins, or foil confetti for snow
Glitter
Mineral oil, baby oil, or glycerin
Distilled water
Holiday fabric and ribbon

Step 1: Remove any labels and thoroughly clean your jar from any food residue.

Step 2: Plan your snow globe scene using household materials or purchase miniature plastic angels, people, animals, buildings, snowmen, Christmas trees, or other ornaments from your local craft and hobby store. Get creative and let your imagination run wild to envision a unique, custom-made creation that reflects a nativity scene, a winter scene, a sports theme, or even your child's favorite cartoon character.

Step 3: Glue the figurine and decorations to the inside of the jar's lid with the clear sealant. (You may want to elevate the scene by first gluing a clear plastic lid to the jar lid, but make sure the diameter doesn't block you from screwing on the jar lid). Allow this to dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.

Step 4: Fill the jar with distilled water, allowing for room at the top for your figurine. Add several drops of glycerin to keep your "snow" suspended, so it falls correctly. Another option is to fill your jar with mineral oil or baby oil instead of using the distilled water and glycerin.

Step 5: Prepare your "snow" material. Separate the membrane from a hardboiled egg shell and then crack the shell in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin. Smaller particles have a more pleasing, snow-like effect, but avoid over-crushing the egg shell into a powder.

Step 6: Add your snow and glitter to the jar. Use just enough egg shell to cover the lid after it settles to the bottom. Add glitter (1 tsp. of silver glitter for every 2 inches of water will give your snow a glistening effect). You can also experiment with different effects and substitute sequins or foil confetti in place of the glitter.

Place the lid on the jar, close tightly, and shake to test how the snow falls and the overall look of your snow globe. You may need to add a little more eggshell, glitter, or confetti until you have the special effect you want.

Step 7: When you're sure the snow globe is just right, invert the jar, remove the lid again, and dry the threads. Apply a bead of silicone or aquarium sealant to the lid's threads and reseal tightly onto the jar. Allow time to dry.

Step 8: Decorate your snow globe lid and create a more finished look with a circle of holiday fabric or red/green felt cut slightly larger than your lid. Attach the fabric to the lid with a tight rubber band and hot glue a matching Christmas ribbon over the rubber band.

Your homemade holiday snow globe is now complete. Shake and enjoy the wonder of Christmas!

Share This Article

Comments(4 comments)

MIRANDA L 12/04/2008 07:50:10

Going to get the items today, can\\\'t wait! What a fun family project!

JUDI G 12/04/2008 08:47:27

Would love to see pictures of completed projects.

http://kidscattle.blogspot.com/

KELLY M 12/04/2008 22:28:43

This sounds cool. I\\\'d like to see a picture of it though.

MAGGIE A 12/05/2008 17:55:25

thank you for art project idea


Blog Categories


Homeschool eNews


Want more information?


We're available right now!

Call 1-800-622-3070

CHAT NOW Schedule a CALL BACK Free GETTING STARTED GUIDE Email us a MESSAGE