Melting Snow Science Experiment

The Preschool Tool Box offers some fun winter center suggestions inspired by Raymond Briggs' classic children's book, The Snowman Storybook - we especially love the science exploration!

Supplies You'll Need

• Clear plastic containers
• Ice cubes {or snowballs!}
• Recording sheet
• Pencil

[NOTE: You want the 'snow' samples to be close to the same size to make it an accurate comparison. The nice thing about using ice cubes is they're a bit more uniform than snowballs that have been handmade.]

Place the snow samples in the clear plastic containers and set them in different places around the room - on the windowsill, by the heater, etc. Have your kiddos record the time each snow sample was set in place and predict which ice cube/snowball will be the first to melt. Invite students to keep an eye on the samples, observing and recording the changes in their science journals {or on the handout provided at TPTB}. Analyze/discuss the results - compute the time {in minutes} it took for the samples to melt and put it in terms your kiddos will understand, discuss the factors that caused the samples to melt at different speeds, etc. [NOTE: This exploration provides a great segue into introducing the states of matter or even telling time/the passage of time.]

Be sure to head on over to The Preschool Tool Box for this and several other great activity ideas inspired by The Snowman Storybook!