Snowy days are nice for exploring the wonders of science proper outdoors your entrance door. Older youngsters will take pleasure in making a snow volcano or designing snowshoes, whereas youthful youngsters love looking for animal footprints or constructing mini snow sculptures.
In case you do not need to spend too lengthy outdoors, seize a tray and convey some snow indoors!
What’s snow?
Snow varieties when water vapour within the ambiance cools and condenses into ice crystals. Precipitation falls as snow when the temperature is 2°C or much less.
Snowflakes are normally greater when the temperature is nearer to 0°C and smaller when it’s beneath zero. Wetter, hotter snowflakes stick collectively, whereas dry, chilly snowflakes keep separate.
Science on a Snowy Day
1. Construct a snow volcano
A snow volcano is a superb science exercise. There is not any want for messy papier mache or a protracted craft mission. Simply head outdoors, construct snow round a plastic bottle formed like a volcano, add the lava components and watch the eruption. There is not any mess to clear up, and it is simply as a lot enjoyable as a conventional volcano.
2. Design a snowshoe
You have most likely walked on snow and felt your toes sink downwards. That is high quality in just some inches of snow, however think about if it was a lot deeper. Snowshoes enable individuals to stroll extra simply within the snow! The physics behind snowshoes is all about floor space and stress. A snowshoe has a big floor space, which spreads the load of an individual’s physique weight over a bigger space, decreasing the stress on the snow.
I’ve created a helpful design sheet so you may design and construct a snowshoe prototype.
3. How do polar animals keep heat?
When it is chilly outdoors, people put on further garments or spend extra time indoors. Polar bears and different polar animals haven’t got that possibility, however they do have particular diversifications to assist them survive in harsh circumstances.
You will discover out how polar animals keep heat with a easy science investigation utilizing lard as blubber.
4. Blow a frozen bubble
It must be very chilly to blow a frozen bubble, but when temperatures drop to -5°C or beneath, it is price making an attempt.
You should use store purchased bubble combine or make your personal. Strive including somewhat glycerin to make the combination stronger.
Gently blow a bubble onto the snow or one other floor and watch because it freezes over!
5. Search for animal tracks within the snow
Recent snow is ideal for recognizing animal tracks within the snow. Take a stroll and see what number of completely different footprints yow will discover.
6. Add salt to snow
Sprinkle somewhat salt on a patch of snow and watch what occurs. Salt lowers the freezing level of water, which makes the snow soften.
7. Report snowfall
Use a ruler to measure how a lot snow falls over days or all through in the future if it is raining closely.
8. Construct a snow wall
Use a container to construct snow ‘bricks’ and assemble a snow wall.
9. Soften a snowman
Construct 3 different-sized however small snowmen and convey them indoors in small trays. Report how lengthy each takes to soften.
One other thought is to construct three snowmen the identical dimension and place them somewhere else to find which melts first.
10. Create a snowman sculpture
Construct mini snowmen and add extras like craft supplies and LEGO to create a snowman sculpture. You may must work quick earlier than your creations soften!
Check out my winter science experiments publish for extra ice and snow science enjoyable.
Final Up to date on June 30, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
