Ice Fishing Scene

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Kitchen Difficulty ●●●●○ Messiness ●●○○○ Ages 3–12

How it's done

Position your elf on the edge of a kitchen bowl filled with salt to mimic a frozen pond. The elf holds a makeshift fishing pole crafted from a thin stick and string, complete with a goldfish cracker dangling as the catch of the day. This setup takes about twenty minutes to assemble, so save it for a night when you have extra time. Cleanup is quick since the salt is contained within the bowl. This detailed winter setup was Inspired by What Moms Love.

You'll need

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Pets in the house?

Should be fine around pets as long as you place it out of reach.

Why this works

The kitchen is the first room most kids visit in the morning, for cereal, for milk, for the toaster. An elf scene staged here has the highest odds of being the first thing your child spots and shouts about. Difficulty 4 is an ambitious scene that rewards the extra effort, the kind of moment kids remember years later.

If it doesn't go to plan

If the elf ends up too well-hidden and the kids can't find it, nudge them with a vague hint ("Looks like our elf went somewhere cozy"), the discovery is the point.

Inspired by What Moms Love . Visit the original post for more photos and the full backstory.

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