Sock snowmen is a craft and activity that can be enjoyed by nearly all ages. These snowmen, or snow people are a cute little addition to anyone’s holiday décor and bring a little bit of winter to our tropical area. We hold the craft in the clubhouse lobby so we can enjoy our creations in the comfort of the indoors, (and keep the rice from escaping everywhere outdoors).
With all the colorful choices of socks and buttons laid out on the table, the guests know that they’re in for an exciting treat. We begin the activity by giving each guest half of a men’s crew sock, this will become their snowman’s body. We monitor each guest as they fill up their snowman to their desired “plumpness”, taking care that they don’t underfill or overfill their snowman. Once their snowman body is stuffed with rice, we show them how to tie a rubber band around the top, creating a little ponytail and ensuring that the rice is safely tucked inside without the risk of any falling out. Next, the guests will pick out two baby/kids socks, one for their snowman’s sweater and one for the hat. We show the guests where to cut each sock, so it creates each piece. The sweater piece has the toe of the sock cut off, as well as the heel and ankle portion so it looks like a little tube. Once the guests have the sweater piece cut, they’ll pull it over their snowman’s head and decide if they want their snowman to have two portions (body and head) or three (two-body potions and a head like a “traditional” snowman). Each guest is then given a piece or two of twine that they’ll use to tie off the snowman to the desired portions. This is when they start seeing their little creation start to really take shape and the excitement on their faces is contagious. Next, they’ll cut the heel and ankle part off their other sock to create the stocking cap for the snowman. We put a very small amount of rice in the very end/toe of the sock and tie that off with a little bow of twine. The guest will then slip the stocking cap over the little ponytail at the top of their snowman and get ready to bring it to life with a face. We offer a few options to create the faces with markers and googly eyes. If they choose googly eyes, they’re glued on with a hot glue gun. While we have that glue gun out, the guests can also decide if they want their little snow man to have buttons going down the front of the sweater. They can choose up to three buttons from our colorful assortment. And with that final touch, the little snowman is complete!
These adorable snowmen, or snow people have been a hit and it’s so much fun to see the uniqueness and creativity each guest brings to the activity.
