Candy Snowflakes

Approximately six snowflakes fell from the sky yesterday. It seemed to send people into a frantic state of excitement and delirium. How would they drive? What would they eat? Could they escape this crippling amount of the white stuff? It was sheer madness. Naturally, I too began to think about winter. But more importantly, I thought about winter crafting. I recalled an image of a really beautiful snowflake made entirely of marshmallows. I thought it could be fun to extend this activity using leftover Halloween candy.

The fact is, as it turned out, we actually gave all of our leftover candy to a charitable cause. Had I considered this idea prior to that (and I will next year), I would have certainly picked out the most prime; soft, yet structurally sound, colorful and shapely pieces to create these winter beauties.

Off to the store we went...

Gather:

*Mike n Ike's

*Jelly Beans

*Mini Marshmallows

*Large Marshmallows

*Colorful, round toothpicks

Create:

1.Place desired candy on the end of the toothpick. Stack them. Use two types of candy. Get creative!

*We did this project with three 6 year olds, one 4 year old and a 2 year old. The off brand jelly beans we purchased were a bit tricky because of the thick sugar coating. I would recommend using a different candy or even just a smaller version for this project as the toothpick was a bit difficult for some to pierce the jelly beans. The Mike n Ike's worked really well! You could also try gum drops or any gummier type of candy that holds its shape.

To my surprise however, the 2 year old #nailed it!

Here the kids went rouge and made a castle.

2. Place the sharp side of the toothpick into the large marshmallow.

3. Repeat until you have created the Candy Snowflake of your dreams!

The kids enjoyed this activity even more than anticipated. We started with an entire bag of large marshmallows and did not stop until it was gone! It was really a fun way to sneak in a STEAM activity that not only piqued interest in building structures of symmetry but also tasted delicious! I'd call it a win.

Please share far and wide! Tag #brainybeginningsnetwork with all of your amazing creations! Happy Holidays to you and yours!