Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make Mint Sparkle Snow Dough
I love easy crafts that you can make from things you already have at home. This mint sparkle snow dough, or also called Cloud Clay, can be made from things you will find in your bathroom and kitchen. The recipe for snow dough has been around for a long while, but I kicked it up a notch using essential oils to make it smell wintery! Read on to learn how to make my mint sparkle snow dough.
My Snow Dough smells minty!
What are Sensory Toys?
Kid and adults love sensory toys. From fidget spinners, to bubble wrap, to glitter filled glue bottles to slime, we love it all. Did you know that sensory toys can help adults and kids feel more comfortable in their environment?
They can also help improve focus, calm anxiety and encourage creative and independent work. I kept some sensory toys on my desk when I worked in an office and reached for them when I was stuck on a creative project or felt anxious. Read more about the benefits of sensory toys here.
This snow dough is a great sensory toy
Sensory Toys for Autism
Sensory Toys are also great for autism. I made an apron when working with children at a health care educational setting that was filled with tactile things for them to feel. When we read a book about dogs, I pulled off the fur attachment on my apron (I glued some of my dog’s fur to a piece of foam core and had it attached to the apron with Velcro) and handed it to the kids so they could “feel” a dog while we read about one. They really enjoyed it.
Snow dough is also called cloud dough or cloud clay
Sensory Toys to Buy
If you aren’t crafty, you can buy sensory toys if you or someone in your life can benefit from them. If you shop Temu, use my code afe55197 for 30% off or use my link (for new app users). Here are some of my favorites:
Sensory Toys to Make
If you can make some sensory toys (like my sensory apron) definitely do it! The creative process of making it alone can be very calming. I love my SNOW PAINT project. Just making it and painting with it is calming. I also love my mermaid slime project. See that here or via my 1-minute video below or on my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
I made Mind Jars (or a meditation bottle) many years ago, which were definitely pleasing to me, my co-workers when I worked in an office and the kids I made them for loved them too. See that craft in my video below:
I made someone a toddler busy board years ago and he loved it. See how I made that here or in my YouTube video below:
Sense of Smell
The cool thing about my version of snow dough is that it also pleases your sense of smell. I love things that smell good and this dough definitely does. It even makes my hands smell minty after playing with it. You don’t have to use spearmint essential oil like I did. Scent it with lavender for a calming effect, lemon or peppermint for an invigorating scent or anything you like.
Mint Sparkle Snow Dough Tutorial
Now for the mint sparkle snow dough tutorial. Here’s what you need:
½ cup unscented lotion (You can use scented lotion if that’s all you have, but I wouldn’t use essential oils to scent the dough more if you go this route as the smells may not work well together, I used Fragrance Free Jergen’s from Walmart, some recipes call for hair conditioner instead of lotion, and though we didn’t test it, you could)
1 cup cornstarch (I got mine at Whole Foods, but most grocery stores have it in the baking aisle, or Amazon has some)
Few drops essential oil (I used Spearmint Oil because I had it on hand, I got it on Amazon, this is optional, but I loved it scented!)
Glitter (I used iridescent chunky glitter I already had, but Amazon has some too, this is optional but it makes it more fun in my opinion)
Mint Snow dough ingredients
How to:
Place the 1 cup cornstarch in a mixing bowl.
The cornstarch makes this dough light and airy
Add the ½ cup lotion.
Adding the lotion to the snow dough
Add a few drops essential oil. Some oils aren’t very strongly scented, so you may need a bit more.
You can use spearmint or peppermint to scent this
Add in some glitter. I ended up adding about 1/8 cup or a couple of tablespoons…add more or less according to what you want.
Adding the glitter is optional
Mix using a spoon or spatula.
Mixing the dough with a spatula
When it starts to come together, I used my hands to mix it fully, kind of like cookie dough.
Mixing it with your hands can be fun for kids too!
If you think it’s too sticky, add more cornstarch. If you think it’s too dry, add a bit more lotion.
The glitter makes it even more fun!
Use cookie cutters or your hands to shape it into all kinds of things. I played with mine on a non-stick surface, which is best. I kept mine wrapped in plastic wrap and a plastic bag overnight and it was still fine to use the next day.
It will last sealed up for a week or so, longer if stored in the fridge. If it gets dry, add a bit more lotion and knead it in to reconstitute it or make a fresh batch.
Snow dough is fun to shape with hands or cookie cutters
This is not a kind of dough that you can make ornaments from or things to keep as the lotion will eventually dry up and then the dough will crumble. This is more for sensory play. If you want to make things from dough to keep, try a bread dough recipe like this one I made here on my website.
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make Bread Dough Roses for Claw Clips and Other Crafts
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.