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It's a Snow Day!

Go outside and have some fun in the snow! Look for the birds and squirrels. They'll be busy looking for food. When it's time for you to come back inside, try some of these SNOW DAY SCIENCE activities. Make sure to record your observations and bring them back to the lab to share with your classmates and me!

Measuring Snow in Solid Form vs. Liquid Form

What you'll need:
 Measurable amount of snow!
 A coffee can or comparable container
 A plastic 12-inch ruler
 Clear packaging tape

Directions:

1. Fill a coffee can or container all the way to the top with snow.
2. Use the ruler to measure amount of snow in the container.
3. Bring the can indoors and let the snow melt.
4. Measure the amount of water in the can.

Discussion questions:

1. Was there a difference in measured amounts (snow vs. water)?
2. How much more or less was one measurement?
3. Did your snow's measured amount match that measured by the news' meteorologist?

Compare Snowball Melt Times

What you'll need:
 Snowballs in various sizes
 Cups or plates to store snowball brought inside

Directions:

1. Put snow balls in various places that have different temperatures (one in shade, one in sun, one indoors, one outdoors).
2. Make predictions about which snowballs will melt the fastest or the slowest.
3. Observe snowballs at various points throughout the day; record observations.

Discussion questions:

1. Which snowball melted first?
2. Which snowball melted last?
3. What affected the melt time of the snowball (time, size, etc.)?

Feed and Observe Winter Birds

What you'll need:
 Pine cones
 Peanut butter or cream cheese
 Birdseed
 String

Directions:

1. Coat pine cone in peanut butter or cream cheese.
2. Roll coated pine cone in birdseed.
3. Tie string to pine cone and hang cone on branch.

Discussion questions:

1. What types of birds visit your feeder?
2. How long does the feeder last?
3. Do more birds visit on colder or warmer days?

Make Your Own Snowflakes

This creative website allows you to create a personalized snowflake (perfect for winter). It is the virtual version of construction paper and safety scissors snowflakes minus all the mess:

Make Your Own Snowflakes

You can also use the PowerKids website to research some interesting, C-O-L-D, scientific topics like glaciers, ice caps, and blizzards. Remember---the username is LVA and the password is lions123.