Just For Kids

Just For Kids
Section

[Winter Activities] [Weather Words]

Winter Activities

Crystal Balls

What you need:

• Bubble solution (or one part Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid to 10 parts water), glycerin and sugar.
• Bubble blowers, wire shaped into a circle, or try a straw with 4 1cm slits at the end.

What to do:

On a cold day with light wind, form a bubble, but do not let it escape. As the bubble freezes, watch the formation of ice crystals. If you leave it long enough, it will form a crystal ball.

Take a Good, Close Look at Snowflakes

What you need:

• Black paper or fabric (place in freezer)
• Magnifying glass

What to do:

Take the black paper or fabric out of the freezer and outside when it's snowing. Let some snowflakes land on the paper and quickly use the magnifying glass to see the beautiful shapes.

Snowflakes on Glass

What you need:

• A piece of glass and hairspray (aerosol, not pump)

What to do:

Freeze the glass and the hairspray and wait for the snow to fall. Spray the frozen glass with the frozen hairspray and let some snowflakes settle on the glass. Bring the glass inside to thaw for 15 minutes and you will have a permanent record of your snowflakes.

Snow Globe

What you need:

• An empty jar with lid
• Epoxy glue or silicone seal (hot glue may also work, I haven't tried it)
• Small plastic animals, trees, scenery items, etc.
• Glitter
• Water and glycerin

What to do:

Glue animals, trees, scenery items, etc. with epoxy or silicone seal to the lid of the jar in a pleasing arrangement. Let dry completely, probably overnight. Fill the jar (not quite full) with water and a little glycerin (will work without glycerin - glycerin makes the snow fall a little slower) and add a tablespoon or so of glitter. Gently try to put the lid on, first adjusting the amount of water in the jar - keep as full as possible. The lid must then be glued on with epoxy glue or silicone seal. Leave to cure several hours, then shake and enjoy!

Snow Slush Dessert

What you need:

• Fresh, clean snow
• Frozen juice concentrate (thawed, but cold)
• Cold glasses or bowls

What to do:

Scoop the snow into a glass or a bowl, drizzle a few spoonfuls of concentrate on the snow and enjoy.

See How Much Water is in the Snow

What you need:

• A container, preferably clear plastic
• Ruler
• Snow

What to do:

Gently fill the container with fresh snow, then bring it inside and let it melt. Measure how much water is in the container. You can try this several times over the winter, using different kinds of snow (light fine snow and big fluffy snow) to see if there is any difference in the amount of water.

Borax Crystallized Snow Flakes

What you need:

• White pipe cleaners cut about 4" (10 cm) long, 3 for each snowflake
• String
• Thread
• Wide mouth jar
• Boiling water
• Borax (at the grocery store with laundry products)
• Pencil or dowel

What to do:

Twist three pieces of pipe cleaner together to form the snowflake points. Tie string to one point, about 1/3 of the way from the end of the point. Wrap the string around the next point at the same distance from the end. Keep wrapping around all points. Measure how much water your jar will need and boil. Put three tablespoons of borax for each cup of water to be used into the jar. Add the boiling water and stir. (You can add a little food colouring if you want your snowflake tinted slightly) Tie a thread onto one of the points and around a pencil, leaving enough length to suspend the snowflake into your jar and have it covered with water. Lay the pencil on the mouth of the jar with the snowflake immersed in the water. Leave everything overnight, and in the morning the snowflake will be covered with crystals. You can use your snowflake as a decoration or sun catcher.

Folding Pattern for the Perfect Six Sided Snowflakes

Start with square piece of paper.	Fold in half.
Fold in half again.	Fold in thirds, one section to the front, one to the back.
You are now ready to cut.	Cut off bottom to form another triangle, then cut whatever design you like!