For most of us, winter isn’t a time to spend outside in our backyards. That is what spring and summer are for. Winter is for staying indoors like a human burrito, wrapped up in your favorite fuzzy blanket, and binging Netflix till your eyeballs hurt.
However, there is one family that proved winter is the perfect time to build yourself a little slice of a winter wonderland right outside in your backyard. And they did so using water balloons.
Now, again, for most of us, we would associate water balloons with summer fun – items that kids play with at pool parties or during water balloon fights with their friends. But it turns out, water balloons can be used as a building tool to make the coolest-looking igloo ever!
That is precisely what the Wood family did with a bunch of water balloons, and they shared the finished product on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tansri.bratakusumo/posts/10158513037301497
The Woods live in Oak Park, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago. The family consists of dad Anthony and mom Tansri, along with their two kids: eighteen-year-old Jasmine and fifteen-year-old Joshua.
Given that Illinois is a place that gets snow, it is not surprising that the family became inspired to do something fun together during winter, which turned out to be building an igloo. And as Anthony shared with Fox 32 Chicago, the project was a two-week undertaking.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158513037271497&set=pcb.10158513037301497
As the family got underway with the construction of their igloo, it started gaining the attention of their curious neighbors. Soon, there were pictures of the Woods’ igloo being circulated across social media.
In fact, the creatively colorful igloo inspired one local realtor, Kelly Maggio, to post a Facebook post in which she offered a free hot chocolate to whoever could replicate the Woods’ igloo in her own backyard.
https://www.facebook.com/KellyMaggiorealestate/posts/1124336871651789
The secret to the Woods’ colorful water balloon success was a pretty simple one. They took regular water balloons, filled them up, then stuck them somewhere cold to freeze. Once frozen, they could be taken out and used the same way a brick would be used as a building block.
As Fox News reported, “Antony Wood said the first step was to fill the 12-inch balloons, add food coloring, then leave them outside in temperatures in the teens or below to freeze. They removed the balloons once the ice was frozen and started to build, using snow mixed with water as a slushy mortar.”
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10158513036656497&set=pcb.10158513037301497
The finished product is certainly a very colorful, very well-constructed one. It measures 8 feet in diameter and 5 feet, 6 inches in height. While it is pretty cool, it definitely would not be suitable for a large group. As Wood told Fox 32, “You could fit two people lying down in it comfortably, and we have slept overnight in it.”
While it might not be suited to a large crowd, that didn’t stop Anthony’s wife, Tansri did make the attempt to see how many people she could cram into the small space. The results were friends and family crushed into the photo op!
Tansri posted the results to her Facebook page, writing, “We managed to fit 9 fully grown adults plus one who is taking photo from the tunnel. Pretty sure still have room for more.”
https://www.facebook.com/tansri.bratakusumo/posts/10158528176846497
The Woods’ colored igloo was even fitted with some fun lighting to really make the multicolors pop – particularly at nighttime. The Wood family dubbed it the “Bulba-gloo,” and it lasted a while, however, according to a Facebook post, the igloo’s days look numbered due to recent warming temperatures. While it may not last forever, we’re sure they’ll probably make another one with next year’s snowfall.
What do you think of the igloo? Have you ever attempted to make an igloo when it snows? Let us know!