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A Snowy Day
A gentle snowfall is a great time to see some of nature's most beautiful artwork. Bundle up and head outdoors!
What you need:
- piece of black construction paper
- magnifying glass
- snow
What you do:
Put the paper in the freezer and wait for a snowy day. Grab the paper out of the freezer and go outside with your child. Let some flakes land on the dark surface. Have your child look at them with the magnifying glass before they melt.
Note: Some snowfalls only produce small, grainy flakes that look like white sand. To do this activity, pick a day when the flakes are big and the snow crystals look interesting.
What you talk about:
- Explain to your child how snow is formed. When it's cold enough, moisture in the air freezes around a speck of ice or dust. Then it falls as snow. Ask your child to guess what happens to this moisture when the air is warm. (It falls as rain.)
- Just like human fingerprints, every snowflake is unique. But scientists have found that they do come in basic shapes. Most have six sides. Some have branches. Some are shaped like flat plates or tubes or needles. Have you child search the black surface for all these shapes. Which do your child like the best? Why?
More flaky fun:
- Go wild with snow. Why stick with snowmen when you can make a snow menagerie? Have your child start by sculpting snow into simple animals. For example, a turtle could start as a small mound.
- Catch a falling flake. You and your child can look into the sky and each find one flake to focus on as it floats downward. The goal: Drift back and forth along with the flake so you can catch it on your tongue.
Activity: Susan Goodman