Our elf has brought some very unusual snow. It is clear, it arrived in a parcel and it makes a satisfying pop. ❄️
The “Pop the snow!” note is a fairly big clue that this will be a hands-on morning discovery.
This easy elf idea uses clean leftover bubble wrap for a little popping station. It takes only a moment to arrange if you have some packaging saved.
What you’ll need:
- One official Elf on the Shelf doll (paid link)
- A clean piece of bubble wrap with some bubbles still unpopped
- A shallow tray or the lid of a sturdy box
- A folded cloth to support your elf
- Paper and a pen
Setup:
Put the bubble wrap flat inside a shallow tray, with the bubble side facing upwards. Trim it to fit if needed, rather than leaving a long piece trailing across the room. Sit your elf beside the tray against a folded cloth, with his mittens near the edge. Write “Pop the snow!” on a little note and leave it in front. A small offcut beside him makes it look as though he has already started testing the snowfall. In the morning, let the children press the bubbles with their hands while the wrap stays in the tray. They can take turns popping one each, look for the biggest bubble or try a quiet pop followed by a loud one. The snow is entirely imaginary; the fun is in the noise and the squishy little air pockets. Put the used packaging away when the activity is finished.
Use what you have:
Save the bubble wrap from a delivery rather than buying a fresh roll for one elf scene. A box lid makes a free tray. If you have no bubble wrap, leave small pieces of clean scrap paper to scrunch into noisy snowballs instead, with a note saying “Crunch the snow!” so the activity matches the material.
Try the homemade Christmas shakers or the paper-cup telephone for another elf scene.
