Macaroni Snowflakes

With the winter still bearing down on us and plenty of snow here in the North East I am preferring snowflakes of the macaroni variety over the real thing.

This DIY has even the smallest hands can building perfect macaroni snowflakes – after all no two are alike.

Our 8 year old really enjoyed making these too – she used her snowflake to ‘school’ her mother (Me) on symmetry and the water cycle – who would have thought that conversation would have stemmed from some paint and dry pasta? LOL.

These Macaroni Snowflakes come together quickly and chances are you have all the supplies right in your home.

Supplies We Used

• Dry Macaroni – we used a variety of pasta that we had in the pantry (it was a great excuse to use up some of those boxes that only had a little left in them)
• White Paint – we used an acrylic craft paint – a little paint goes a long way TIP – less paint = less dry time
• Plastic Bag with seal – this is what we used to mix the paint and the macaroni
• Glue – Arlene’s Original Tacky Glue is our favorite for this craft – it holds so well and dries clear- not to mention it is non-toxic. You can find Arlene’s glue at your local craft store, office supply store or online at Amazon here.
• Cardboard – this becomes the ‘canvas’ for your macaroni snowflake masterpiece. It doesn’t need to be fancy – we used some scrap red cardboard from a previous craft.
• TIP – our daughter even suggested cutting up a cereal box and using the inside as her canvas, when my sister made them with her daughters she used a colored party paper plate
• Cardboard Shirt Box – this will be for spreading the painted macaroni out on to dry – using a shirt box makes it easier to lift and move the ‘wet paint’ macaroni

Getting Started

1.  Add the dry macaroni to the plastic bag and then add some white paint, we used only a few squirts of the paint to start.
2. Seal the bag and mix the pasta and paint through the bag TIP – get the kids involved early in the process, in our experiences they love this step! Add more paint if you need it to cover pasta.
3. Pour the painted macaroni onto the shirt box and allow it to dry
4. Once the painted macaroni is dry, prepare your ‘canvas’ – gather your cardboard, paper plate, actual canvas – it’s all good!
5. Glue – for the youngest hands spreading glue onto the canvas works well – they can then create their snowflake masterpiece freely. Older artists might like to place the glue a bit more strategically – using the tip of the bottle. TIP – A small bowl with glue in it will let your artist dip the macaroni and place it perfectly – it also makes the craft last longer!
6. Once the macaroni snowflake is complete allow it to dry until the glue is clear
7. Hanging your macaroni snowflake – we used a hole punch to make 2 hanging holes at the top of the canvas and added some ‘Let it Snow’ ribbon for displaying

Looking for more easy at home crafts to make with the kids?

Try some of these Mom’s Lifesavers reader favorites.

 Making Bird Treats – don’t forget your feathered friends outdoors this time of year.

Ornament Clay Recipe – ornaments aren’t just for the tree during the holidays – let your young artist make get creative with this easy recipe.