Once again this month Crystal at Mom for Less and I are partnering with Indiana’s Family of Farmers to help bring Ag into the classroom or home. This month we’re talking about winter on the farm. The girls and I had such a fun time making these Mason Jar Snow Globes with farm animals to help show you a little bit about what winter means on the farm for us.
As a farmer during the winter months we often get asked, “I bet it’s nice for things to slow down.” It’s true that Spring and Fall are very busy with planting and harvest and Summer proves to be extremely busy with hay, spraying, and so many other things, but Winter actually seems to be the busiest season of all on the farm.
I know of several people that love snow. I will admit, I do love a white Christmas, but snow brings forth a lot more work on the farm. A lot of snow means that the bunks (what the cattle eat out of) have to be shoveled out before the cattle can be fed. Snow has to be moved before the tractors can drive past the bunk for feeding time. We do have the luxury of using a skid loader to move our snow, but it can still be very time consuming.
We’ve been very fortunate so far this season and we have had very mild temperatures in the Midwest, but when it gets extremely cold we want to make sure that the cattle have plenty of fresh bedding and their water isn’t frozen. My husband always says, “I like clean dry sheets on my bed at night and so do the cattle.” The cooler temperatures can also be very hard on the cattle’s health, so we make sure to monitor them very closely. There have been many times when Brad seems to spend more time with the cattle during the winter months then with our girls. I like to explain it this way: Farming is hard, but it is also very rewarding. It takes a lot of commitment and understanding. It’s our livelihood. If we take care of the plants and animals, they will take care of us.
So, back to the snow globes.
Mason Jar Snow Globes
For this project you will need: a small glass (we used baby food jars and a caramel topping jar), various small farm animal figurines, distilled water, glycerin, glitter, E6000 water proof glue.
Begin by gluing the animals to the lid of the jar using the E6000 glue. Make sure to leave enough room around the outer edge so the lid will screw on to the jar. Allow the glue to dry completely.
Next, add the water to the jar. Make sure to use distilled so the water doesn’t get “murky” over time.
Add the glitter. We used several different colors because you can never go wrong with glitter!
Then add a few drops of glycerin. This will help the glitter flow nicely.
Once everything is added to the jar, screw on the lid tightly and shake it up well. The glitter will seem clumpy at first until the glycerin is evenly distributed.
Now you are finished and ready to admire the snow falling.
I love how when the glitter settles, some of it lands on top of the animal. Just like on the farm. I love seeing black calves with a dusting of snow on their backs.
These were simple to make and so fun to admire. Don’t forget to head on over to my pal Crystal’s blog for a fun winter on the farm lesson. Have a little fun while learning about farming!
Mason Jar Snow Globes
Ingredients
- Small glass jar
- Small animal figurine
- Distilled water
- Glycerin
- Glitter
- E6000 glue
Instructions
- Glue the animal figurine to the lid of the jar using E6000 glue. Allow the glue to dry completely.
- Fill the glass jar with distilled water. Add the glitter and a few drops of glycerin.
- Screw the lid on tightly to the jar. Shake and enjoy!
[…] Mason Jar Snow Globes […]