I saw special markers used to color snow on Facebook recently. I had no idea such a thing existed so I looked them up on Amazon out of curiosity. I really had no desire to color snow but it got me thinking there might be other cool toys or gadgets out there that would be fun to play with in the snow. While searching, I stumbled across some snow molds that caught my attention, especially a gnome mold which was included in a set of five characters. They reminded me of the brick maker molds I used to build snow forts with when I was a kid, only cuter and more interesting. When I heard we were finally supposed to get a lot of snow, I ordered a penguin mold that is 11 inches tall and a set of five smaller molds that are each a little over 7 inches tall. They can also double as beach toys and be used to make shapes with wet sand.
The molds are easy to use, but I learned some helpful tips and tricks along the way that I thought I would share so you don’t make the mistakes that I did. Note the directions for the large penguin on the Amazon product listing page are misleading since you don’t assemble the two halves after they’re filled with snow (the printed instructions included with the mold are right), and the set of five molds doesn’t come with any instructions at all. So I’m including complete instructions to ease your (or your kids’) frustration. The set of five molds says you will get “random characters” but I did receive exactly what was shown in the picture. (I was going to be heartbroken if I didn’t get the gnome.)
The large penguin mold is the nicest quality and the easiest to use of all the molds, although it does require the most snow because of its size. With eight inches of snow on the ground, I had no shortage of snow to work with!
Supplies
Instructions
Tips
I made twelve of these little cuties really quickly. You can churn out an army of snow buddies in the time it takes to make one snowman. Speaking of snowmen, I couldn’t get the little snowman mold to work, even though it looked really simple. The heads kept coming off and the snow stuck to the inside of the mold. The cats’ ears and paws were a little tricky too and kept breaking off, but I still think they turned out cute. The gnome and penguin molds had the highest success rate! I was thrilled of course that the gnomes turned out so well! I didn’t try the teddy bear mold because I’m going to send it to my friend’s daughter for her Groundhog Day birthday. I think she’ll get a lot of use out of it in snowy South Dakota!
If you want to get really creative or if you have kids, you might want to get a set of snow markers to really add some artistic flair to your snow friends! I haven’t tried the markers so I have no idea how messy they are or if they’re easy to use. Let me know if you’ve tried them! I think they would really add some pretty color and definition to the shapes.
I found making the snow buddies very therapeutic and relaxing, almost like crafting. It was fun to do something active outside, and according to my FitBit, I burned a lot of calories. Let me know in the comments what you’re up to this winter! I’m not a big fan of cold weather or January, so anything that can bring a little cheer to winter is welcome.
Brr… it’s cold out! Here in central Indiana, we’re feeling the…
Marilee | 17th Jan 19
Your Snow Buddies are adorable! We are never too old to play in the snow! ❄️⛄️❄️
Megan | 27th Jan 19
I love the snow buddies, especially the gnome! Thanks for sharing your winter fun!
Wendie | 5th Feb 19
You have had the funnest snow “crafts” this winter, Denise! I love these snow critters!