Christmas is an incredibly special time of the year and with things the way they are right now we need it more than ever before. It’s also, however, a time of year that can be incredibly expensive, particularly when it comes to entertaining the kids.

But while we can’t help you with the gifts (making a PS5 any cheaper, for example) we can help you turn an otherwise quite plain Christmas party into something your kids and their friends will remember for the rest of their childhoods. Because, while we haven’t had a legitimate white Christmas in many years, when people think about the festive season, one of the first things they think about is snow.

Let it snow

Yes, snow is a natural phenomenon but that doesn’t mean we can’t find a way to replicate it for fun. Of course, you could spend a small fortune renting a snow machine and filling the back garden with the stuff, but we know everyone is trying to pinch the pennies this festive season so that simply wouldn’t be practical. Instead, we’ve come up with a nifty way of making your own fake snow on the cheap!

Making this snow together with your children is not only a fun activity but could teach them a thing or two about chemistry too. All you need is a couple of ingredients from your pantry and some filtered water, and you can create a compound that looks and acts just like the real thing. Better yet, it’s completely safe and only takes around 5 minutes to prepare.

So, follow our step-by-step guide to making your own fake snow below: –

Gather your ingredients – You’ll need a decent-sized bowl, a bag of cornflour, a tub of bicarbonate of soda and a source of filtered water that’s free of contaminants.

Mix it up – Mix around 500g of cornflour with 500g of bicarbonate of soda. These should be the quantities they come in anyway so you might not even need to do any weighing here. Whatever size of mixture you are going to make, the ratio of ingredients should always be 1:1.

Introduce the water – As you’re mixing the two ingredients, gradually start to add your water into the bowl just a few drops at a time, mixing as you go. Eventually, you should notice the mixture starting to hold its shape but crumbling between your fingers when pressed – just like snow! For reference, it took us around 3 tbsp of water until the mixture was the right consistency.

Ready to play – That’s all there is to it. Now you’re ready to play. Of course, this isn’t the kind of snow you can make snowballs out of but it’s certainly the kind of snow you can build snowmen with. You could also use it to create fake winter landscapes to decorate your party and really bring a little festive winter cheer to the occasion. Just remember to wash up afterwards!