Summer Snowman Snacktivity

We've finally gotten settled in enough at our new house to start back into our summer reading/crafting.  The girls (ages 9 and 10) read volume 5 of Carolyn Keene's Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series.

If you remember from our earlier posts, each of the books in the series has instructions for a craft at the back.  In the "Case of the Sneaky Snowman" - in which the sleuthful friends at first believe they are being "pranked" by a snowman, and then set off to solve the mystery of who is really behind the joke, the instructions at the back are for making a beaded snowflake ornament.

I thought about using yellow and orange beads, to make sunbursts instead of snowflakes, but opted to stick with the wintery theme, and make summer suitable ice cream, snowmen treats, instead.  One of these days we're actually going to make the craft as presented in the book.  In the meantime however, this turned out to be a nice compromise.

I prepped for the snacktivity by using rounded measuring spoons to dip out a tablespoon, a half tablespoon, and a teaspoon sized scoop of ice cream for each child.  I figured D (age 12) would want to join in the fun, even though he hadn't read the book.

I placed the small scoops of ice cream into a plastic container with a lid, and allowed them to firm back up in the freezer, before presenting them to the children with candy and cookie bits for decorations.  We used pulled apart licorice ropes, mini sandwich cookies, as well as cut up wafer cookies, mini Rolos (which ended up looking like Shriner's hats), mini chocolate chips, bits of orange gummy bears, and the tips of some old candy corn I found at the back of the cupboard.

I maybe should have checked the instructions for putting together ice cream snowmen, because it turns out...

...it's pretty difficult to keep them balanced and standing, while adding candy decorations to them.

We ended up knocking ours over, and decorating them flat on the plates, before rushing them back to the freezer to re-freeze.  They were melting about as quickly as you might expect on a warm, summer's day.

In keeping with the prankish plot-line of the story though, I waited for the children to go outside to play, and then snuck back to the freezer to reposition the men.

So, when the children went to retrieve them for dessert, after supper, they not only found their treats all on one plate together...

...but standing!  Not that they stayed that way that way for long.

Of course, I feigned ignorance of the whole affair, and was as surprised as the children to find the snowman standing in the freezer - not that they fell for my act, but they're good sports, and not the sort to blame a mom for trying, anyway.