8 Simple No-Bake Winter Snacks to Make in the Classroom

Winter officialy starts on December 21st, but I know in some places it already feels like winter! And since my post 10 Simple No-Bake Fall Snacks to Make in the Classroom was such a hit, I thought I’d give it a whirl with no-bake winter snacks.

1. Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

With those holiday parties coming up and, possibly, a Polar Express themed day, I’m starting the list off with a classic holiday drink! This one can be made super simple. Just collect students’ unopened chocolate milk from breakfast and lunch over a couple of days and keep in the staff fridge (or your mini-fridge, if lucky enough to have one). Then, pour them into the slow cooker on the morning you want the hot chocolate. Set the crockpot to low, stir occasionally, and once warmed through switch the setting to warm. Voila! Hot chocolate! Then, pour into cups and serve with candy canes and whipped cream, if desired.

2. Pita Christmas Trees from Haute and Healthy Living

This link has several healthy recipes that can be used in the classroom. This one looked the most fun! It uses pita wedges with half of a pretzel stick stuck in the bottom to form the tree. The pita is covered with an avocado mash, but you could just use guacomole. Then, it is decorated with small pieces of vegetable and topped with a cheese star. I would have this part done in advance, so students would be putting together the Christmas Tree, and not doing any cutting.

3. Ice Cream Cone Christmas Tree

If you’re looking for a sweeter version of a Christmas Tree, try this one. I’ve seen it on many sites. You take a sugar ice cream cone, the pointed one, and turn it upside down on a paper plate. Then, students will use plastic knives or spoons to put green-dyed frosting onto the cone. Last, students stick small candies to the frosting to decorate the tree. Some ideas for candy are pull-and-peel licorice, Skittles, M&Ms, sprinkles, or chocolate chips. You could have parents donate the items for creating these adorable Christmas Trees!

4. Elf Trap from Primary Playground

This one goes with the book How to Catch an Elf by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton. Once you read the book, the students create an elf trap with four simple ingredients: large marshmallows, graham crackers, pretzel sticks, and mini-candycanes. Each student only needs one of each item, so this is a budget-friendly snack, too! Included in the post is a free writing printable for students.

5. Edible Snowman from Bolling With 5

These snowmen are made from sticking together three giant marshmallows with either marshmallow fluff or peanut butter (be aware of your students’ allergies, first!). Then, they are decorated with pretzel stick arms, a sandwich cookie hat topped with a a mini-Oreo, and other assorted candies. Read the post for more details on this fun project!

6. Cupid in a Cup from First Grade Roars

This one has a whole engaging lesson that goes with it that includes prediction, data collection, sequencing, and more. However, to get the worksheets for the lesson you have to purchase it from Teachers Pay Teachers. It is $6.00, but you don’t have to purchase the lesson to make the snack. To make the Valentine’s Cupid in a Cup you need golden Oreos, instant vanilla pudding, Cool Whip, cream cheese, and fruit. It looks really cute once complete and tastes good, too!

7. Shamrock Pie from First Grade Roars

Another recipe in a cup. It is made similar to the one above with a St. Patrick’s Day spin. It has golden Oreos, vanilla pudding mix, milk, Cool Whip, green food coloring, spray whipped cream, and green sprinkles. This one can, also, be purchased from Teachers Pay Teachers.

8. Rainbow Snack Sticks from Glitter on a Dime

Here is another cute St. Patrick’s Day snack! You only need pretzel sticks, mini marshmallows, and Fruit Loops. The Fruit Loops will be placed onto a pretzel stick with a marshmallow on each end. The author says the hardest part is getting the Fruit Loops over the pretzel sticks and suggests, “to gently twist it on the stick.”

A few tips for making snack time easier.

1. Have all of your ingredients and materials prepared in advance. You don’t want to be dyeing frosting or cutting veggies while students are waiting to get started.

2. You can make the snack in small groups. If making a snack with your whole class at the same time freaks you out, by all means do it small groups while other students work on something independently.

3. Get parent volunteers in to help. If you choose to do the cooking activity whole group, you can ask for parent volunteers. Parents love to volunteer for activities like this.

4. Have parents donate ingredients, when possible. This will save you money and, then, parents can participate from afar.

5. Most importantly, know your students’ food allergies! Do NOT use any ingredient your student is allergic to.

Making snacks in the classroom is not only fun, but a memorable learning experience for your students as well! When students look back over their year with you, I’m sure making snacks will be one of the top things your students remember. If looking for more holiday fun check out last week’s post A Festive Round-Up of FREE Holiday Around the World Activities!