By: Fran Mcgee

 Snow Candles

      Title: Waxing Poetic...Candle Making in the Snow
 Categories: Crafts, Candles, Kids
      Yield: 1 candle

           Snow
           Parraffin or beeswax
      1    Tin can
      1    Pan
           Old color crayons or
           -old colored candles
           Candle wicking
           Waxed paper
      1    Stick
      1    Oven mitt

  SNOW FACTS AND FOLKLORE:
  Facts:
  ~There are about one milion ice crystals in a patch of snow two feet
  wid, two feet long and 10 inches deep.
  ~The odds of two ice crystals being exactly alike: one in 105 million
  ~The greatest snowfall in one 24 hour day was 76 inches--over 6
  feet--on April 14-15, 1921, in Silver Lake, Colorado.
  ~The greatest snowfall in one year was 1,224 inches--that's 102
  feet--at the Paradise Ranger Station in Mt. Rainier, Washington,
  between Feb. 19th 1071 and Feb. 18 1972.

  Folklore:
  ~When hornets build their nest higher than usual, expect a snowy
  winter. -When a dog howls at the moon in winter it is a sign of snow.
  ~If snow begins during midday, expect a foot of it to lay.
  ~The day of the month of the season's first snowfall is thenumber of
  days it will fall that winter.
  ~Put a pint of snow from the season's first snowfall on a stove and
  slowly melt it. The number of bubbles that rise to the surface is the
  number of snowfalls to expect.
  ~Large flakes at first, the storm will last; small flakes at first,
  it'll be over fast.

  Now for something fun to do with all that snow:

  1. Place the paraffin or beeswax in the tin can.  Pour two inches of
  water into the pan and place the can of paraffin into the pan.  Heat
  on the stove until the water boils, then turn the burner down so that
  the water simmers, but doesn't boil.  Watch the paraffin carefully as
  it melts. Stir in old crayons or old pieces of candles for color.

  CAUTION: Never put paraffin directly in a pan over the burner,
  because it may get too hot and explode.

  2. As soon as the wax melts, turn off the stove.  Dip the candle
  wicking in the melted wax so that it is fairly stiff, and lay it out
  straight on a piece of waxed paper to dry thoroughly.

  3. Go outside toprepare the snow mold.  Find a spot where the snow is
  at least one foot deep and solid enough to hold it's shape when you
  poke a hole in it.

  4. Use a stick to poke a hole a few inches deep in the snow.  This
  will be your candle mold, so try experimenting with different shapes
  and sizes. When you are satisfied with the shape of your hole, go
  back inside and turn the stove on again.  It won't take long for the
  water to heat up again and for the wax to melt if it has hardened a
  bit.

  5. Using an oven mitt or hot pad, carry the can of melted wax and the
  piece of candle wicking outside to the snow mold.  Dangle the wick
  into the hole and carefully pour the melted wax around the wick into
  the hole. Hold onto the wick for a few minutes until you're sure the
  wx has cooled and hardened enough to hold the wick up straight.

  6. Let the candle cool for about an hour.

  7. Carefully dig the candle out of the hole by digging around it with
  your hands.  Bring the candle inside and rinse it off under cool
  water.

  8. Trim the wick to about one inch.  Carefully trim or scrape off any
  bumps on the bottom of the candle so it will stand up.

  9. Make an arrangement for a table or mantle by cutting a few
  evergreen branches and using them to surround the base of the candle.
  Try nesting several candles in some evergreen branches.

  Source:  Mother Earth News  Feb/Mar 1994
  Editors Note: Find this project and several others in Nature crafts
  for Kids, available postpaid from Sterling Publishing Company in New
  York for $22.95; call 1-800-848-1186