States of Matter Science in Snow and Winter Weather

Quick links if you’re too busy to scroll:

Snow Science Videos:

• Where Do Snowflakes Come From?  from SciShow Kids 

• Where Does Frost Come From?  from SciShow Kids

• Why Can We See Our Breath in the Cold?  from Mystery Science

Snow Science Books:

• The Snow Thief written by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater 

• The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder  written by Mark Cassino & Jon Nelson, illustrated by Nora Aoyagi) 

• Snowflake Bentley  written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian

Snow Science Experiments and Activities:

• Catch some snowflakes from Lemon Lime Adventures

• Make a snow or ice sensory bin

• Make popsicles or ice cream

• Melting snow experiment from Steam Powered family

Snow, Frost, Icicles - States of Matter and Winter Weather Science

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” ~ Aristotle

Photo by Darius Cotoi on Unsplash

Snow days are for play, but they’re also for playing with the science of states of matter! 

What are states of matter? It’s how things in our world can show up in different states - as a liquid, gas, or solid! And in winter weather, water can show up in all three states , as vapor, rain, frost, icicles, and snow.

Take advantage of the winter weather and make states of matter science fun for kids! Check out some really cool snowflake pictures (did you know snow crystals can be column shaped??), learn about where that crunchy morning frost comes from, and do a really easy science experiment with melting snow.

(Just a reminder - I am never paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.)

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Snow, Frost, Icicles and States of Matter Science Videos

Where Do Snowflakes Come From?  from SciShow Kids  Let’s start off with answering the most obvious question first, right? I mean, do you know where snowflakes come from? No? Then let this 3 minute video teach you and your kids how a seed crystal collects water molecules to form a hexagon, and then adds branches of more water molecules to form a snowflake shape! You’ll also learn how snowflake form unique shapes based on the temperature, air, and humidity in the cloud where it formed and on its path falling down to the ground. Amazing what you can learn from a kid’s science video. (Teachers, this supports NGSS 2-ESS2-3.)

Where Does Frost Come From?  from SciShow Kids Maybe it hasn’t snowed yet this winter. But have you been getting some frost in the mornings? Well that’s the perfect opportunity to talk about the three states of matter - gas (water vapor in the air), liquid (dew drops on the grass in the morning), and solid (frost on grass in the morning). The video ends with a simple activity to check the weather before bed and guess based on overnight humidity and temperature whether there will be frost in the morning. (Teachers, understanding the difference between water vapor, dew, and frost supports NGSS 2-PS1-1 and 2-ESS2-3.)

Why Can We See Our Breath in the Cold?  from Mystery Science We are always breathing out water vapor, we just can’t see water vapor. But cold can make invisible water vapor turn back into a visible liquid. So on a cold winter day, the water vapor in our breath turns into little liquid droplets that we can see! This is a perfect example of changing states of matter in the winter. (Teachers, understanding the difference between water vapor, liquid water, and ice supports NGSS 2-PS1-1 and 2-ESS2-3.)

Snow, Frost, Icicles and States of Matter Science Books

The Snow Thief written by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater 

The same beloved Bird & Squirrel from The Leaf Thief return! Squirrel has so many questions about his first winter. What is this white stuff everywhere? Why is there smoke coming out of his mouth? Where did his hazelnuts go??? While the story doesn’t directly answer all of Squirrel’s questions, the lovely age-appropriate explanations in the backmatter do. 

My 1st grader wanted to read this one over and over again at bedtime, laughing at Squirrel's antics in the story and then reading through the backmatter slowly each night.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder  written by Mark Cassino & Jon Nelson, illustrated by Nora Aoyagi)

Younger kids will love to just flip through the gorgeous close-up photos of snowflakes, snow plates, even snow columns! Older kids will be fascinated by the illustrations showing how snowflakes form from a speck to a billion unique hexagonal shapes. (Teachers, learning that snow is solid water supports NGSS 2-ESS2-3.)

Snowflake Bentley  by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian

This is the true story of Wilson Bentley, a dairy farmer who spent his life trying to photograph snowflakes. Over years he developed photographic techniques that allowed him to capture delicate snowflakes in crystal clear photos before they melted. Scientific curiosity is so beautiful! 

Snow, Frost, Icicles and States of Matter Science Activities and Experiments

Catch some snowflakes

from Lemon Lime Adventures

This blog has the brilliant idea to put dark construction paper in the freezer for a couple hours before using it to catch snowflakes. I can’t believe I never thought of this before!

Make a snow or ice sensory bin On snow days, after my kids are tired of playing outside in the cold, we bring the snow inside to keep playing! I give them spoons, cups, scoopers, toy ice cream cones, and food coloring. It’s sensory play, but it’s also getting a hands-on feel for the density of snow, how much it crunches down, how quickly it melts. Here’s a photo I took of them playing with a snow sensory box years ago. Look how happy they are!

No snow on the forecast? My kids also love a good ice sensory bin. When they were in preschool and kindergarten, they liked just stirring the ice around in bowls of water, scooping it from one bowl to another, and seeing how quickly the ice melted. We’ll use food coloring and ice cube trays to make colored ice cubes ahead of time. When they need an activity to do, I can pull the colored ice cubes out for an extra special ice sensory bin. They love choosing the colors and watching them melt into the water. You can even freeze little toys inside ice cubes and let the kids “free” the trapped toy. Again, it’s sensory play while getting a hands-on feel for how solid ice and liquid water interact, how cold the ice makes the water and how quickly the ice melts and. 

Make popsicles or ice cream Want to turn liquids into yummy solids in the kitchen? Get out your popsicle molds, or for extra credit make some ice cream! Here are some fun science questions to ask and wonder about while you’re making your treats and eating them. What’s messier - liquids or solids? (The molecules in a liquid aren’t connected together like in a solid, so that lets your liquid flow everywhere. Including onto the floor!) If your popsicle melted back into liquid juice, could you refreeze it again into a solid popsicle? (As long as it didn’t melt all over the floor!) Does it feel different when you bite off the popsicle and when let the popsicle melt in your mouth? 

(And teachers, if you do try to melt and refreeze your creations, that supports NGSS 2-PS1-4!)

(Full disclosure, my youngest kid begged me to get a Zoku ice cream bowl after watching the ice cream cooking video I linked above. Reader, I have now made so much ice cream in our Zoku bowl.)

Melting snow experiment from Steam Powered family This is a super simple science experiment for a snowy day. Find three matching jars. Fill one with water, one with ice cubes, and one with snow. After they melt, which jar will be the most full? They might be surprised to see how very little water there is in a jar full of snow! (Teachers, observing the different forms of water in this experiment supports NGSS 2-PS1-1 and 2-ESS2-3.) 

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I hope something here helps you enjoy your next snow day even more!  Share what you've found with a friend! And if you sign up here, you'll get more ideas in your email every month.

And if your kids can’t get enough of weather science, check out these posts about the water cycle and clouds! 

Until next time, enjoy the winter weather and keep lighting sparks of curiosity,

Amy Wung Tsao