One of the best things about winter for kids is the variety of outside activities that involve snow. Making snowmen, building forts and tobogganing are the more popular children’s winter activities but kids can also have fun exploring the environment and discovering the science of snow. Try some of these ideas as a family outing or as a special activity with a group of preschoolers.
Create Snow Drawings
Using sticks, pine boughs or even their fingers, have the kids draw pictures on a canvas of freshly fallen snow. Look for tree stumps, railings, fences, and benches as ready surfaces for kids to show their creativity. Take pictures of their drawings to be used for the front of next year’s homemade greeting cards.
Make Slush Sculptures
On a relatively warm day, add water to the snow to create slush. Let the kids get wet and make slush creations, much like ice sculptures. Encourage them to use sticks, stones and other materials to add details to their artwork. Challenge the kids to co-operate on creating a slush wall which can be used as part of an outside obstacle course.
Look at Snowflakes
Let snow flakes fall onto dark construction paper and have the kids take a close look at snowflakes through a magnifying glass. Talk with the kids about the uniqueness of each snowflake and how they are made. Have the kids draw pictures of their favourite snowflake shape when they go inside.
Taste the Snow
Most kids love the sensation of cold snow melting in their mouths. Rather than repeatedly reminding them to stop licking their mittens, find a spot that has clean freshly fallen snow and let them have fun tasting the white stuff. For preschoolers who like to role play, let them use an ice cream scoop to spoon snow into plastic bowls and pretend they are running an ice cream stand.
Experiment with Snow
Do various experiments with snow, simply to see what happens.
- Watch snow melt when table salt is added.
- See how long it takes for different sized snowballs to melt in the sun.
- Put snow inside different sized plastic pails and metal pots to see which container holds more.
- Find surfaces that snow will stick to.
- Discover which toys sit on top of the snow and which ones are heavy enough to sink down.
Paint the Snow and Ice
Using food colouring added to water let toddlers paint the snow and ice with brushes or spray bottles. Let them see what happens when two different colours are mixed on the snow’s surface and how the colour blends when ice melts. Teach them to paint their name on the snow bank in front of the house.
Look for Animal Tracks
While on a walk in the woods, show kids how to spot animal tracks and talk about what the animals might be doing. Ask the kids to make their own tracks in the snow using their footprints, sticks or their fingers. Let them look at the tracks with a magnifying glass.
Snow is the perfect learning tool for science and creativity. Show preschoolers how to explore the wonders of winter and let their imaginations do the rest.
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