I have some fun snowflake facts for kids and an exploding snowman. Be sure you grab more ideas for winter fun on my page winter season unit study.
Snow can be a hard concept for a younger child to grasp if they have never seen it in person. Sure, they know it’s white and cold from books and TV and may see it fall at home.
Most of them are familiar with Frosty and Olaf but really grasping the properties and the conditions needed for snow to form can be more challenging.
As with any topic you can layer on the information as they are able to understand it.
Start with what they know and build on concepts forming a “snowball” effect, pun intended.
Use books, movies, and hands-on activities to bring it to life until they can go walk in a winter wonderland for themselves.
Snow and Snowflake Facts
How is snow formed?
(Answer: Snow forms when tiny ice crystals in clouds stick together and become snowflakes.)
When enough of these crystals stick together, they become heavy and fall to the ground.
How do snowflakes form?
(Answer: A snowflake begins to form when an extremely cold water drop freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky.)
This creates what is known as an ice crystal.
As the ice crystal falls to the ground, water vapor freezes onto the initial crystal, building new crystals and creating the six arms of the snowflake.
Then add some snow vocabulary.
Here are some fun snow vocabulary words.
Snowflake For Kids Vocabulary
- Hexagon -A shape with 6 sides
- Crystal- When frozen water molecules bond together and have 6 sides.
- Precipitation-Snow, sleet, rain, or hail falling to the ground.
- Water vapor-the gas phase of water.
- Frozen- When something has turned to ice.
Snow Movies
Next, here are a few fun movies to share about the concepts of snow, ice, snowflakes, and winter.
- Wild Kratts- How a Snowflake is Formed.
- SciShow Kids Brr 5 Videos About Winter
- Peekaboo Kids–Everything About Winter Season
- The Snowman
- Daniel Tiger Snowy Adventures
- The Snowy Day
Also, look at these fun snow and winter resources.
Add a book or two to your snow day.
13 Snow, Snowman, Animals, and Winter Books
Add one or more of these books to your learning day if you're learning about snow, snowflakes, winter or just for fun.
Immerse Yourself in This Story of Love and Companionship Amidst Deprivation
It is the fall of 1930, and America has plunged into the Great Depression. On a remote dirt road deep in the snowy woods of northern Wisconsin, misfortune forces the impoverished Sparkes family to take desperate measures.
A wayfaring quartet consisting of thirteen-year-old Araminta (nicknamed Minty), her recently unemployed father-a poetry-quoting widower called Pops-and her younger sister, Eglantine (known as Eggs-a dreamer like Pops), and their dog, Buster, are on their way to Minneapolis to live with the curmudgeonly Aunt Amy. When their car breaks down and they are unable to fix it, the homeless four stumble upon a vacant summer cottage by a lake. In desperate straits, they decide to settle in.
How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered inside this exploration of the science of snow, featuring photos of real snow crystals in all their beautiful diversity. Perfect for reading on winter days, this book by a nature photographer and a snow scientist will inspire wonder and curiosity about the marvels of snow.
B-R-R-R-R! AH-CHOO! Sneezy the Snowman is cold, cold, cold. To warm up, he drinks cocoa, sits in a hot tub, stands near a warm fire–and melts! But the children know just what to do to build him up again–and make him feel “just right”.
Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've wondered . . . what do snowmen do at night? This delightful wintertime tale reveals all!
When the mayor of Mouseville announces the town snowman contest, Clayton and Desmond claim that they will each make the biggest snowman ever. But building a huge snowman alone is hard! They work and work, but their snowmen just aren't big enough. Soon they have an idea. As the day of the contest approaches, Clayton and Desmond join forces to build the biggest snowman ever.
Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow lies a secret world of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals making their winter home under the snow. This beloved nonfiction picture book exploring the subnivean zone reveals the tunnels and caves formed beneath the snow but over the ground, where many kinds of animals live through the winter, safe and warm, awake and busy, but hidden beneath the snow.
"Stoeke's second book about that intrepid screwball, Minerva Louise, is a rare find."—The Horn Book, starred review. The other chickens hate snowy mornings. But not Minerva Louise! To her a snowy day—like everything else—is an adventure. But this chilly, chipper hen needs something to keep her warm. What she finds—and how she finds it—will keep young readers cackling.
Our heroes' entry for the snowman contest has magically come to life―and ran away! Can YOU help catch it? Get ready for snow much fun as you travel through a winter wonderland with running, skating, and bouncing through trap after trap to catch the snowman and claim the winning prize. Will the snowman teach our heroes a lesson they'll never forget?
When the geese begin to fly south, the leaves flutter down from the trees and the cold winds begin to blow from the north, the animals of the woods and meadows, big and small, prepare for the long, cold winter ahead when the countryside is hidden under a deep blanket of snow. They gather food and look for warm, snug places in the ground, trees, caves or thickets, where they can find protection against the icy winds.It might have been hard for the birds and animals of the hillside to survive when the Big Snow came if their good friends, who lived in the little stone house, had not remembered to put food out for them.Here, in many beautiful pictures, the Haders show how winter comes to the woodland as the busy animals make their preparations.
The Smithsonian does things right and this Curious About Snow book is a
great introduction for curious kiddos with real images and simple explanations.
This is a clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. Introduce kids to basic science ideas as part of discussions about the seasons and animals.
SET OF 10 FUN AND FRIGID FIGURES – It’s hard to stay warm at the North Pole, but you can discover its wonders in your home with these frigid friends. This TOOB includes a Harp Seal, Husky, Caribou, Arctic Rabbit, Killer Whale, Walrus, Arctic Fox, Beluga Whale, Igloo, and Polar Bear.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
In addition, there are more hands-on snow and snowflake ideas below.
More Winter Unit Study Resources
Look at these other winter unit study resources.
- Two Fun Candy Cane Hands-on Science Winter Experiments
- Cardinal Birds in Winter and Birch Trees Easy Watercolor Kids Activity
- Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities
- Winter Craft Ideas How to Make Fun Pinecone Flowers
- How to Make an Adorable Toilet Roll Snowman for Winter Crafts
- Easy and Fun Pinecone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten
- Free Amazing Winter Unit Study and Winter Lapbook for Kids
- Easy Hands on Snowflake Winter Craft for Kids Who Don’t Have Snow
- Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
- 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities
- How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid’s Game (free printable cube)
Additionally, before you began this hands-on activity, look at some exploding snowman science.
Exploding Snowman Science
When baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) combines with vinegar, carbon dioxide is created.
The bag starts to fill with the carbon dioxide gas, and this is what causes the bag to swell up.
If you create enough gas your bag will open, and the pressure will make the bag explode.
This recipe below did not pop the bag, in fact it stayed inflated for quite a while because the gas did not escape and could be repeated over and over.
If you want your bag to pop open you can add a bit more of the ingredients to create more gas.
And also use a regular gallon zip top instead of a zippered one which holds more securely.
How to Make an Exploding Snowman
You will need:
- A gallon ziploc bag (zippered is best)
- Black and colored permanent markers
- Rubbing alcohol/towel
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
Directions:
If your bag has printed designs or writing on it, take some rubbing alcohol and pour it on the baggie over the design.
Then rub gently with a towel and it will easily remove the design from the bag leaving it plain.
Next, create a fun snowman or snow lady face with markers.
Give him rosy cheeks, a wide smile, and a cute carrot nose.
Pour ¼ cup of baking soda into the bottom of the bag and take it outside.
Once outside pour in 8 oz. of white vinegar and quickly close up the bag.
Ziploc bags work best to give you a quick closing top.
Your snowman will swell up immediately.
If you put in extra ingredients your bag will pop open within 30 seconds.
Look how inflated the bag was within just seconds!
If you have more than one kid, you can let them have a contest to see who’s snowman pops first.
