Fake Snow and Freebies

I am so excited about writing tonight.  Mostly because I made someone's day, I tried an experiment, and I had two people post what they would like to see created.

First, I got a great idea from Momma's Fun World on how to make fake snow.  So, tonight I spent a little time and money at the Dollar Tree.  I loaded up on coconut conditioner.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I bought one bottle for each of my students.  I know that sounds crazy, but I have a habit of going overboard.  I have this fear of not having enough, so I always buy too much.  I also bought 16 little boxes of baking soda.  I grabbed two buckets to mix it in and a couple of plastic tablecloths so I don't get in trouble with our head custodian tomorrow.  As I'm walking towards the checkout line, I spotted deep pans - the ones that you typically use for turkeys at Thanksgiving.  I thought that may be a better deal than a piddly, little bucket, so I decided I wanted to swap them out.  Well, my number one pet peeve is just sticking things in random places in a store.  I decided to walk the buckets back and put them where I found them.  I didn't think it was a big deal, but apparently it was.  I turned around and two Dollar Tree employees are gawking at me.  One of them told me she had never seen anyone do that and told me thank you and high-fived me.  I told her what I was doing and she was as excited as I was.  I know it isn't a huge deal, but it made me realize that sometimes random acts of kindness don't cost money and don't have to be thought out.  They can be as simple as putting something back where it belongs.

Now, onto the fake snow.  I mixed up a small batch tonight because I was a little nervous about how tomorrow may go.  To mix it, you use 1/2 a cup of conditioner and 3 cups of baking soda.  I have to say, it worked exactly how it should have.  The texture is one of the neatest textures I've ever felt.  It feels like snow and sand mixed with the consistency of play dough.  The fake snow isn't cold, but it does feel cool to the touch. The one mistake I made is my conditioner to baking soda ratio is off.  I bought way too much conditioner and definitely not enough baking soda, so I will be making a Walmart run in the morning.  I will have more pictures tomorrow.  I cannot wait to do this with my kids!!!

Okay, so last thing and then off to bed with me.  Tonight is the first YOU CHOOSE THE FREEBIE post.  I only had two to choose from, so I decided to go with the first one tonight.  I loved the idea of creating a simple division sheet.  I don't teach division in first grade, but I knew exactly what I would create if I did.  I also created a new noun search sheet.  Thank you Suzy Q for the great ideas!  Dawn, I promise I didn't forget you.  I start teaching non-standard measurement in two weeks, so I will try to create something you can use sometime this weekend :)  I already know what I want to do, but it will take a little more time.  

Now, for the rest of you, make sure you stop by my blog every Wednesday and leave me a comment on what you are needing.  I will choose one person's items to create for Thursday. Check out the pictures and CLICK HERE to grab the freebie.  If you don't teach division, then when you print off the sheets, pass the division sheet onto a teacher at your school who does.  I'm sure it will make them smile that you thought of them and if you are doing random acts of kindness, then that would definitely qualify.

Everyone have a fantabulous Friday!!!  

17 comments

  1. What a neat idea! I'll have to try out the fake snow! Thanks!

    Kiah
    kiah.m.berg@gmail.com

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    1. No problem :) I hope you have fun with it :) I am going to put it in the freezer tonight, to see how the texture changes. I'll definitely post an update tomorrow about how it goes with all of the kids :)

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  2. That looks awesome! Does it have to be the White Rain conditioner or will any white one do?

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    1. My understanding is any of them will work. They had everything at the Dollar Tree, so it should be a pretty cheap project :)

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    2. Thanks! Cheap is good :)

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  3. This division sheet is perfect, Faith. We will be doing it next math class! Thank you again.

    Did the coconut conditioner smell terrible? I am not sure I could stomach an entire class's worth of coconut snow!

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    1. No problem :). Glad you liked it. Honestly, it isn't that strong of a smell. It reminds me of the beach. I handle fruity smells and cookie smells pretty well. Flowers smells are what get to me :)

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  4. Hi Faith! The snow looks awesome! I cannot wait to try it. Thanks for sharing :)

    Cahterine
    The Brown Bag Teacher

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    1. It went great! I just did a follow up post :) Hope your kids have as much fun as mine did.

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  5. For kids who might want to taste the snow (PreK/sensory), you can combine flour and cooking oil or make instant mashed potatoes (add cold water until it's a moldable consistency vs. following the directions on the box). No matter what recipe you use, you can make the snow and then put it in the refridgerator to make it cold for play! I did this for my class of 2 year olds and it really added to the idea of snow.

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    1. Next time, I'm going to try to make some ahead of time so I have time to make it cold :) It still was cool to to the touch, but I definitely think it would have been more fun if it had been even more cold.

      As for mashed potatoes, a few years ago, we had a huge mashed potato fight with our fourth and fifth graders at church. It will be awhile before I can look at mashed potatoes as snow again. The potato smell was still there the next week. I'm sure it goes much better when building compared to having a "snowball" fight, but I still can't erase that smell :)

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  7. If you use it for decorating, will it get ugly within a month?

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  8. Does anyone else notice the ammonia smell (like you are bleaching your hair) from their snow? Is it safe for toddlers to play with or will it hurt their skin?

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  9. I would like to try this, but I'm not sure how to use it. Can I get some ideas, please? Thanks

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  10. I put mine in a bin. Laminated blue paper, and laid it in the box. I added snow all around. I added whales to the water( Blue Paper) and made some icebergs to add walrus's and seals. I arranged my artic animals and the children had so much fun. I had a sink with warm soapy water so they could wash their hands before and after. It is kind of messy but they enjoyed it so and swept up with ease.

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  11. Mine smelled like ammonia too! Lucky i made it before i took it to my ppreschoolers it smelled so nad i decided not to use it.

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