Cotton balls look a lot like snow. They’re just a whole lot more lightweight. This game has been used at showers in years past, thought of merely as cotton balls rather than balls of snow. I thought I was original in adapting the game to the idea of shoveling snow. Then I looked online to see what time limit was recommended and discovered that someone had already had the same idea. In this game, each player must “shovel snow” from one container to the other while blindfolded. Because the cotton balls are so lightweight, it’s impossible to tell how much success you’re having without being able to see. Therein lies the humor.

For this game you will need a 9 x 13 pan and a large bowl. Clear glass is best, if possible, so that onlookers can see how it’s going. If you don’t have a 9 x 13 pan, a dishpan and large bowl or two large bowls will work. You will also need a serving spoon, a bag of cotton balls, a device to use as a timer or stopwatch, and blindfolds. (If you have an old T-shirt, you could cut long, wide strips. The strips can be doubled over a couple times and tied around the heads.) And you should have paper and pencil to write each person’s score, to make sure there’s no confusion. You will need three volunteers to help with the game—one person to time each turn for 60 seconds, one person to count the cotton balls and put them back in the original container, and one person to write down the number of cotton balls each contestant successfully transferred. If you want to give a prize, flip a coin in the unlikely event of a tie.

If you have a lot of people present, just ask for five volunteers to play. Although this game is fun, it could become boring if it goes on too long due to too many participants. When you’re ready to play, detach the cotton balls from each other and place them in the 9 x 13 pan or whatever you are using in its place. Have one contestant put on a blindfold and give them the spoon. Once they establish where the containers are, they are no longer allowed to touch them. The object is to scoop as many cotton balls as possible into the other container in 60 seconds.

It never ceases to amaze me that every snowflake that falls to the ground is unique. When I really think about it, it just blows my mind. You could introduce the game by reading the following:

It seems that snowflakes are yet another piece of evidence of God’s design in nature because they are so beautiful and every snowflake is unique. The BBC website explains the incredible way that snowflakes are formed. Each snowflake has six sides because of the way the hydrogen and oxygen atoms inside the water molecules react when they meet other water molecules. As the snowflake floats through the air, it encounters various level of humidity. In lower humidity, there is less water vapor. In higher humidity, more water vapor causes the water molecules to branch in different directions. Since each snowflake’s journey to the ground is unique, its design is also unique.

We’re going to pretend that these cotton balls are snow. Each player will be blindfolded and have 60 seconds to scoop as many cotton balls as possible into the other container.