Today, I am going to show to you step-by-step how we paint gorgeous snowflake crystals using a few ordinary household supplies and a bit of science magic!

You see, since we moved to Florida, we don't get too many snowflakes at the ES office. So if we want to have a snowball fight, we have to make some fake snow with shaving cream and cornstarch. 

And if we want to admire a few snowflakes, we have to paint our own with some Epsom salts and water!

This is a beautiful project that where art and science meet. Let's dig into the directions . . . 

How to paint stunning crystal snowflakes with ordinary Epsom salts

Materials

You will need the following:

• Epsom salts
• Warm water
• Cup
• Food coloring (blue is best)
• Paintbrush
• Paper 

Procedure

Here are the steps you will need to take to paint your crystal snowflakes: 

1. Mix equal parts of the Epsom salts and warm water together in a cup, about half a cup of each will work well.
2. Stir until most of the Epsom salts have dissolved.
3. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix well.
4. Then, use the mixture to paint a snowflake design on the paper.
5. Let the designs dry and watch what happens!

Results

As the paintings dry, Epsom salt crystals will form turning the snowflake designs into stunning snowflake crystals!

More Winter Science Fun

Here are a few more winter science tips and activities:

• 10 Snow Science Activities
• Which one freezes first?
• 3 Reasons we do nature study in winter
• Fix the winter blahs with science