Snow Crystals

Snow Crystals: Freezing and Melting and Winter Fun!

Even if you live where it never snows, you are going to have fun learning about what causes it! This Playdatebox is an introduction to freezing, melting, and the structure of snow crystals!

Of all the forms of water, the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied.
Wilson Bentley

Download a free copy of our Snow Crystals Newsletter for easy-to-access Playdate ideas.

What's Inside of a Snow Crystals Playdatebox?

The Snow Crystals Playdatebox and accompanying Snow Crystals Newsletter include enough fun for several playdates. We’ve provided a list of supplies so you can build your own! We encourage you to keep several Playdateboxes on hand. They make it easy to connect and have fun when the grandkids visit. If your grandchildren live far away, a Playdatebox will revolutionize your online virtual playtime. Create a Playdatebox to ship to your long-distance grands!

Favorite picture books about snow and snow crystals: We’ve made you a list of several we recommend!
A Snowman Freezing and Melting Kit: Cut some simple snowman decorating shapes from craft foam using our pattern, then freeze your own snowman.
Snow Slime: One of our winter favorites!
Freezing and Melting Experiments: Some ideas for science and STEM work
Sneezy The Snowman Hot Chocolate Kit: Make a snowman with marshmallows and let him go hot-tubbing in your homemade hot chocolate.
Lots of additional age-appropriate ideas and resources to consider

Our naked eye sees snow as unremarkable white dots. However, in 1885, scientist Wilson Bentley devised a clever way of attaching his camera to a microscope so he could take photographs of snowflakes in greater detail than ever before. Getting this close made it even clearer that no two flakes were the same, no matter how many Mr. Bentley examined.
BBC Bitesize Articles

Playdate #1 - Enjoy a Favorite Read-Aloud About Snowmen, Snow Crystals, and the Wonder of Snow!

Snowflake Bentley (ages 4-9 years)

Wilson Bentley was always fascinated by snow. In childhood and adulthood, he saw each tiny crystal of a snowflake as a little miracle and wanted to understand them.

The Snowy Day (ages 2-5 years)

A timeless classic and Caldecott Award winner that should be in every multi-cultural children’s library.

Sneezy the Snowman (ages 3-7 years)

A delightful picture book about a snowman who loves hot chocolate and hot tubs, and the ingenious kids who figure out a way to help him warm up.

A Snowstorm Shows Off

Our Readeo.com pick for this box, you can read this title with your Readeo app. Bel the Weather Girl helps her friends understand what makes some snowstorms change into blizzards. Will the storm let up before school is out?

The Story of Snow (ages 3-11 years)

An award-winning book that teaches the science of how snow crystals form. Easy-to-comprehend explanations of complicated scientific principles.

Playdate #2: Make a "Freezy the Snowman" Freezing and Melting Kit

Using the pattern provided, set your grandchild to work making an outfit for a snowman out of craft foam. Find sticks for arms and add googly eyes. Put your snowman into a freezable container and fill it with water. Check him every few hours and watch what happens to the water! This is a fun freezing and melting experiment you can try with children ages 3-8.

Playdate #3: Make a Snow Sensory Bin

If you are lucky enough to live in an area that gets snow regularly, try setting up a snow sensory bin using supplies Mother Nature provides. Bring some of the white stuff indoors and see where your curiosity takes you as you experiment on some freezing and melting experiments of your own.

You’ll need

A shallow plastic bin or large mixing bowl
A few kitchen utensils for digging
A spray bottle filled with warm water
Toy cars, waterproof toy people, or animals

We used a bin of snow and just let our curiosity run wild. You can read the full blog post for more ideas.

Try squirting the snow with warm water to see what happens.
Heat up some of your snow with a blow dryer (adult supervision required).
Squirt a little bit of colored water onto your snow
Put on a pair of gloves and make roads and tunnels.
Use kitchen utensils to dig and pack snow.
Make a mini snowman or pack snow into shapes and cut it with cookie cutters
Put some snow into a pan on the stove and watch what happens when you heat it up.

Most of the projects in this month’s Playdatebox also work remotely over video chat. Set up supplies in both locations and play as if you are in the same room!

Playdate #4 - Make Fluffy Snow Slime!

This fun concoction is adapted from a recipe on lookwerelearning.com

You’ll need:

1/2 cup white school glue
2 Tablespoons artificial snow mix (no water added yet)
1 1/2 cups foam shaving cream (avoid the menthol kind if kids are sensitive to odors)
1-2 Tablespoons contact lens solution
1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the glue, shaving cream, contact lens solution, and baking soda, and artificial snow.
Mix together with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it remains too sticky, add more contact lens solution 1 teaspoon at a time.
Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead with your hands until smooth.

Playdate #5 - Melt a Hot-tubbing Snowman

Read Sneezy the Snowman together and then build a snowman of your own. This hot-tubbing creature can help extend your conversation about freezing and melting, and he’s easy to make.

You’ll need

marshmallows
pretzel sticks
a tube of dark decorator icing (or some melted chocolate chips dabbed on with a toothpick)
a candy corn
Hot chocolate mix
A large microwave-safe mug or cup

How to Do This Remotely

Assemble a few marshmallow snowmen and see how creative you can get with the placement of arms, legs, and body parts. What unique edible supplies can you poke into your marshmallows to make your snowman even more festive? What else melts in a warm liquid?