crafting with grandma - Snowflakes for National Snowflake Day

Apparently tomorrow is "National Snowflake Day" . . .  here in West Michigan we have quite a lot of snow. In honor of National Snowflake Day, I thought it would be fun to share some info about snowflakes and a few snowflake crafts with you all! 

So, first for some snowflake "info" . . . 

• In 1885 a man by the name of Wilson Alwyn Bentley studied thousands of snowflakes under a microscope and concluded no two were identical. According to Wikipedia, he was one of the first known photographers of snowflakes and perfected a process of catching flakes on black velvet in such a way so their images could be captured before they either melted or sublimated. 
• This technique used by Bentley to photograph snowflakes is essentially the same as used today, and while the quality of his photographs reflect the technical limitations of the equipment of the era "he did it so well hardly anybody bothered to photograph snowflakes for almost 100 years". Can you imagine doing something so well, others do not "bother" to try to duplicate or improve it for 100 years? :-) Amazing!

Now for some snowflake crafts - of course I found them on Pinterest! 

• The first is a simple craft making a snowflake from craft sticks! Follow the link, gather your craft sticks, some glue, paint and get ready to craft a "blizzard" of "flakes"!
• The next "snowflake" is made from tp tubes - who would have guessed? :-) Again, follow the link for directions, gather your tp and paper towel tubes and have fun making recycled "snowflakes"!
• I really like this "rustic" snowflake made from twigs and such! Take your grandchildren on a nature walk and gather twigs as you go. Then sit down with warm mugs of cocoa - topped with whipping cream of course :-) - and create your own snowflakes! Follow this link for all the "construction" details you need to know, complete with a photo tutorial, to make these adorable "snowflakes"!
• There are lots and lots of snowflake crafts out there, but of course, the most familiar is one where you just grab scissors and paper and fold and cut your way to "drifts" knee-deep of snowflakes! Consider adding a thin layer of glue to your finished flakes and then cover with loads of glitter for some snowflakes which sparkle and truly delight!

Whatever pattern you decide to make, have fun creating snowflakes with your grandchildren - while you do, be sure to talk with them about how God created snowflakes to be unique and He created them the same way! Just as there are no two snowflakes alike, there is no other person just like them! Be sure to thank God for the unique, amazing and special way He created your grandchildren - and of course give them big hugs! :-)