Get 'Em Outside. Winter Edition: How to Capture a Snowflake!

Original Image: © Daemys | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

 Geared to kids ages 3 - 6 (with mom or dad's help!)

Welcome to the second edition of Being at Home by Nature’s  winter kid’s activities series “Get ‘Em Outside”!  Much of the United States how has snow on the ground, but did you know that you can actually “capture” a snowflake to create a fun piece of art? This is a great activity to get young one’s up and moving on a snowy day while maybe sparking an interest in weather to boot!

Next time it snows, bundle up, grab the kiddos and a few craft supplies and head outside!

First, Gather:

A piece of glass (an old hand mirror works well since they are fairly kid friendly…i.e. not sharp edges)

a can of clear fixative spray, or aerosol hairspray

magnifying glasses

Directions:

Place the glass in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Place the can of fixative, or hairspray, into the refrigerator (NOT the freezer!) for 20 minutes to chill down.

While your waiting for your materials to chill, check out these cool facts about snow!

When it snows, grab the fixative or hairspray and the glass and head outside.  Once outside, have the grown-ups lightly spray the glass with fixative or hairspray.

Hand the mirror to your child and let him or her catch a few snowflakes as they fall.  Be careful not to catch too many…you want to be able to examine the individual flakes.

While you're still outside, try gathering some clean snow to make yummy snow cream after the activity!

Once you have captured a few snowflakes, go inside and place them on a table for about 15 minutes.  No touching!

The actual snowflakes will melt leaving a permanent imprint in the fixative.

After the fixative, or hairspray, has fully dried, use a magnifying glass to examine the different shapes. 

Check out this cool snowflake guide from CalTech!