For the past few weeks, Stockholm had been a winter wonderland full of snow. The Quirky Quibbler hosted the Sculptures in the Snow Photo Competition, where several members of the SIS community participating by sharing their fantastic snow creations. Now that the snow is almost all gone, the photo competition is also coming to an end. As we collect our final photo submissions, we wanted to share an interview we had with Ms. Laura, the MYP/DP Spanish teacher, regarding her snow sculpture.

This winter, Ms. Laura built an igloo with her family. Although their initial plan was to build the igloo directly on the snow, the surface of the piled snow was too high and smooth to sustain an entire igloo. Instead, Ms. Laura’s family decided to build the igloo on an outdoor table, approximately the size of a regular kitchen table.

But why, you may ask, did they decide to build an igloo?

While several families built amazing snowmen this winter, Ms. Laura’s family wanted to try something different and unique. They were inspired by the Inuit culture, where igloos are built as warm shelters and decided to build one themselves. They also added Christmas lights, creating their very own igloo that shined brightly in the dark.

Before their final creation, Ms. Laura’s family built a “test” igloo to see how and where it would be best built. Together, the two igloos took around 2 hours to complete, so it was a great outdoor activity on a snowy afternoon. One challenge that they encountered during this process was creating the dome shape of the snow “bricks.” Although building an igloo may seem simple, it required several detailed measurements to keep the individual bricks from falling apart, according to Ms. Laura. They overcame this challenge with the help of her daughter, who used her small hands to push in between the bricks from inside and maintain the shape of the igloo.

Lastly, when asked about any pieces of advice for the contestants in the Sculptures in the Snow Competition, Ms. Laura gave two main tips from her experience:

1. Use “fresh snow” – It is best to build a snow sculpture right after it snows when the snow is still fresh and soft. Once the snow melts and freezes again due to the cold weather, it becomes too hard, rough, and icy to build anything.
2. “Patience” is key – Like any other creation, snow sculptures require a lot of effort and time. The building process is not as easy as it seems and often needs several trials to complete. So rather than giving up after a single trial, it would be a fun and challenging experience to persevere and create the perfect snow sculpture at last!

With that, the Quirky Quibbler would like to let you know that our photo competition almost at an end, and we are currently collecting the last submissions from anyone who has a photo of their snow creation. The entry form can be found here, and submissions will be open until the coming Monday (March 1st, 2021). Photos will be displayed on the Quirky Quibbler website once the competition has ended, and the winner(s) will receive a fun prize.

So, if you have a photo of your own creative snow sculpture, please participate, and the Quirky Quibbler wishes you a safe and restful sports break!

 Click here: ENTRY FORM for the competition.  Entries close Monday 1st March.