In our neck of the woods, White Valentine's Days are more common than White Christmases - at least that is how it seems. So, we thought that we would share these 10 snow science ideas with you all this month! 

Before we do that, if you want to learn more about how snowflakes form, check out this snowflake video collection. Let's get going...

10 Snow Science Activities

#1. Study the physics of sledding.

Everybody loves to go sledding! As you whoosh down the hills, here are a few things you can test to learn about the physics of sledding:

• Do you go faster down a steeper or more gentle slope?
• Do you go faster with more or less weight?
• Which shape of sled goes the fastest?
• Which material for the sled goes the fastest?

#2. Look at snow under the microscope.

Put a slide in the fridge for a few hours to chill it. Then, head outside with your microscope and chilled slide. Collect a few flakes and view them under the microscope. 

#3. Guess the amount of water snow will leave once it melts.

Fill a clear container with snow and then guess at where the water level will be once the snow melts. This will take several hours depending on the size of your container, so if you really can't wait, pop it in the microwave for 15-second intervals until the snow has melted.

#4. Use snow to make ice cream.

All you need is some snow, vanilla, sugar, and milk to transform the powdery white stuff into a tasty snow treat! Here's the recipe for making snow cream from Hip Homeschool Moms.

#5. Engineer a snow fort.

You can dig it out or build it up. Either way, planning and building a snow fort is a great way to learn about engineering!

#6. Build a snowman.

Building a snowman is another fantastic way to exercise your students STEM muscles. As they build, talk about how why the balls get smaller and smaller as you place them on top of each other.

#7. Measure and record the snow amounts as it falls.

Measuring and recording on a bar graph the snowfall at regular intervals, like every hour, will help your students to feel like little scientists. 

#8. Test how salt affects the snow.

Sprinkle a little rock salt on a snowy step, wait a few minutes, and observe what has happened. The salt lowers the freezing point of water, which causes the snow to melt and evaporate away.

#9. Search for animal tracks in the snow.

Animal tracks can be super easy to find and follow in the freshly fallen snow. Take a quick walk around your neighborhood just after the snow ends to see who has been out and about.

#10. Make ice bubbles.

Everybody loves bubbles, but the frozen variety is very fragile. You can blow bubbles directly on the snow and observe it as it freezes!

Need a few more winter science activities?

We trust that these ten activities will keep you busy as you enjoy the snow outside your window. But we also know that it never hurts to have a few more ideas to do once you head back inside!

For more ideas, check out this activity on which one freezes first or our Seasonal Science Pinterest Board below!

Follow Elemental Science 's board Seasonal Science Experiments on Pinterest.