“This is the day you begin / to find the places inside your laughter, and your lunches / your books, your travel, and your stories / where every new friend has something a little like you / and something else so fabulously not quite like you.”
– From The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Like snowflakes, we are all unique, but somehow also the same. Inspired by the Rogue Reads book The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, the Ashland Library is offering a Take & Make snowflake kit. It will provide you with supplies to make 1 to 2 snowflakes or window stars. If you wish, share one of your creations with the Library and we’ll display it in the Children’s Department windows. If you can’t make it to Ashland to pick up a kit, no worries, you’ll find everything you need listed below to re-create this craft at home.
Be forewarned, this is probably one of the most challenging crafts we have offered so far. Children will most likely need some adult help. It’s worth it, though. These cheery snowflake window stars will brighten up a dreary winter day.
First things first, let’s gather our supplies. You’ll need:
- Cardstock or cardboard (such as a used tissue or cereal box)
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Tissue paper, coffee filter, or waxed paper
Got all your supplies? Great, let’s get started!
1. Grab your cardboard, ruler and pencil and measure out a 4-inch x 4-inch square on your cardboard and carefully cut it out. To really make this craft a success, try to be as precise as possible.
2. Once you have your square it’s time to use it as a template on your tissue paper. You are going to need to end up with nine separate squares. I find tissue paper easier to cut out in layers, as it gives it a little more structure.
As you can see, it’s tricky to cut out perfect squares. Really sharp scissors and a little patience goes a long way. But even if your squares come out a little wonky like mine, it’s okay. You can trim them up later.
3. Next, take one of your tissue paper squares and fold it on the diagonal. This is a great time to trim up any uneven edges.
4. Open it up and place it in front of you so it looks like a diamond shape. Fold one side to the center line and then the other. You’ll end up with something that looks like an arrow or the beginning of a paper airplane.
5. Repeat this process with 8 pieces of your paper.
6. Next, glue down the flaps of your 8 points. Open up the flaps and just put a little glue where the flap meets the center line of the point. You don’t need much, you just want to tack it down.
7. Take your last square and fold it in half and fold it in half again. When you open it, you’ll have four quadrants.
Great Job! You’re ready to create your snowflake window star.
8. Place the square that you just folded into quadrants in front of you, take one of your points (flap side up), and glue it diagonally into one of your quadrants. Repeat this for all four corners.
9. Take the remaining 4 points and glue them in-between the first four. You will end up with something that looks very much like a star. You can stop here or you can continue on to make it look more like a snowflake.
10. Fold your star in half and fold it in half again. With your scissor carefully take a few snips out of the side with a fold. Start slow, you can always go back and snip more as you check your progress.
11. Now you have a snowflake!
You can experiment with folding it in different ways and repeating the above process.
Last but not least, find a window and hang it up.
These can be adapted to different colors and really make for an awesome display. I did my best to simplify the design and make it as easy as possible, but if you or your child want a little more challenge, check out this link. If you want to make a more traditional snowflake this is one of the easiest and most fun ones I’ve tried.
To finish out this project, check out the Storytime Short which features the book Snowflakes Fall By Patricia MacLachlan. I have also created a booklist of more winter-themed children’s books. Learn more about Rogue Reads activities and programs here, and don’t forget to reserve your seat for a live, virtual author talk with Jacqueline Woodson on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.