While temperatures hovered well below freezing outside, a quiet, creative warmth filled the Uniondale Public Library on Monday as residents gathered for a hands-on holiday craft workshop — learning how to turn sheets of paper into large, three-dimensional snowflakes for home decorating.
The free program was led by Nanda Sundri, a retired biology instructor from the East Meadow school district, who taught until 2018. Sundri, who is also a longtime craft instructor, guided participants of all ages through each step, offering en-couragement and help.
“No two snowflakes are alike,” she told the group. “Even when everyone follows the same design, each one comes out different, because you’re cutting it and holding it differently.”
The tables were covered with white, blue and lavender paper, scissors, rulers and pencils. As Sundri demonstrated the process — folding rectangles into squares, trimming them until they become triangles and measuring three-quarter-inch slits — she emphasized patience and creativity over perfection.
She was joined by members of her family, including her 10-year-old niece, Janiya Sundri, from East Meadow, who proved to be a standout with her confident crafting. While other participants moved methodically through each step, Janiya assembled her snowflake with ease, needing only a bit of help from her mother, Sapna Sundri, Nanda’s sister-in-law.
“She only help-ed with the first part, taping the inside,” Janiya said. “I had a lot of fun. It’s fun to make something big.”
Asked what part of the process she liked best, she said she especially enjoyed “assembling the single snowflake,” the final stage, in which the folded pieces are taped or stapled into a large tubular design, the first part of the 3-D design.
She was also looking forward to hanging her completed project outside her house for everyone to see.
Helen Vloyianitis also from East Meadow, who was among the attendees, got to know Sundri in a small book club made up mostly of teachers from the East Meadow school district.
“I’m a friend of a friend,” Vloyianitis said. “I’m not a teacher, but I learn something from them all the time, and this is new for me.” And she was visiting the Uniondale library for the first time.
As scissors snipped and paper unfolded, there was occasional laughter when cuts went awry or a snowflake turned out thinner than expected. “The thicker the cut, the more realistic the 3-D flake will be,” Sundri explained while making her way from table to table.
“It’s step by step,” she told the group. “You can’t do it all at once — you have to slow down.”
She recalled first crafting snowflakes when she was 13. The oldest of six siblings, she was often asked to entertain the others during school breaks — and cutting snowflakes became a favorite activity. After she started teaching, she regularly incorporated crafts into her science lessons.
“Hands-on activity makes people think,” Sundri said. “There’s something special about being able to create something yourself.”
One of her classroom projects was her “science-invention class,” in which students explored ways to create simple scientific models. A popular choice: baking-soda volcanoes. “That’s when the magma spills out,” she added with a smile.
As the workshop wrapped up, participants posed for photos with their finished snowflakes and carefully packed them away before stepping out into the cold — leaving with oversized decorations and a shared sense of holiday creativity.
