Make an "Eco" Snowman

As you look for ways to keep your young crafter busy during the cold days of winter, consider this: with a little ingenuity, children can create and recycle at the same time. Many of the items you might otherwise toss out make great fodder for those budding imaginations. Here's a project that has your child turning what might have been trash and recyclables into a festive and fun holiday snowman!

What You Need:

• 1 cardboard tube from a paper towel roll, or two toilet paper rolls
• 1 sheet of thick, black construction paper
• Hot glue gun
• Narrow masking tape (no larger than ¾” wide)
• White and black water-based kids' tempera paint
• Two googly eyes
• Scrap of red felt, for a snowman scarf
• 1 sheet of light cardboard (use a piece of leftover cardboard from inside a folded shirt, or flat cardboard from a leftover cereal box)

What to Do:

1. Cut the cardboard tube into 4 slices about 1and 1/2" thick. Use the edge of one slice to trace seven circles—they will be the exact diameter of the slice—onto the cardboard sheet.
2. Start by making the body of the snowman. For this, you will use three of the cardboard cylinder pieces and tape. Place three of the cardboard "slices" on a tabletop, one on top of the other (shown below). Use masking tape to anchor them to one another. These taped slices make up the body of your eco-snowman.
3. Next, make the hat. Use the fourth cardboard "slice" to trace a circle onto the black construction paper and cut the black circle out. Then, cut a larger, black circle out, adding about an extra 1/2" around.
4. Make the top of the hat by laying the smaller, black paper circle on a tabletop, squeezing a bead of glue around its edge, and laying the cylinder on top. This should cover one side of the cylinder. Finish the hat by making the bottom: lay the larger circle on the bottom and glue that onto the cylinder.
5. Next, fill in the snowman's back side. Take the seven, traced circles from Step 1 and cut them out. Lay one round cardboard circle underneath each cylinder of the snowman's body, and use the hot glue gun to attach the cardboard circles to the cylinders, making a solid back.
6. To fill in the front of the snowman, use the leftover, traced circles to make a "hinge" with the masking tape. Attach the underside of a cardboard circle to the side of each cylinder, like this:
7. Paint the snowman with white paint and the hat with black paint. Decorate the snowman with decorations like googly eyes, glitter, etc. Wrap a thin piece of red felt around its neck for a scarf as a finishing touch. Use the glue gun to attach the snowman's hat to his head.
8. Now that the snowman is complete, fill the snowman. In the tummy and foot sections, lift the hinges and place some small treats or chocolates in. In the head, you can place a rolled up, written message.

Whether it's a Christmas greeting or a Valentine's poem, ask your child to write it down, roll it up, and deliver this sweet and "eco" gift to that special someone!