It’s wintertime! The cold weather this week has gotten us excited about all things winter. We’ve come up with some fun winter science activities to get your kids’ STEM juices flowing!
Go back in time
Delicious food is a big part of cozy, winter warmth. You can get your students involved in the baking process this year. Go back in time and use this recipe to create your own sourdough bread the way colonial settlers would have. Teach your kids about the science behind baking, the patience involved in creating their own yummy treats, and have something to share with the whole family. Make sure to start three days in advance!
Have a snowball fight
Here in San Antonio we don’t get many chances to play in the snow, but that doesn’t stop us from having fun with two-ingredient fluffy stuff. Play around with different color combinations and personalize this moldable snowball mixture. Your students can even turn it into a real science experiment by varying the corn starch to shaving cream ratio – how does that change the consistency of the resulting “fluffy stuff”?
Put on some layers, leave the digital devices at home, and go for a fun and educational nature walk. Kids can take field journals with them and take notes on their observations throughout the walk. Once back at home, have everyone reflect on what they saw, smelt, heard, touched, and tasted. Talk about what was most interesting, what was surprising, and what your family can do to help keep the environment clean and healthy.
Winter months can be a time to come together and have some fun, and STEM activities are a fantastic way to do just that. This winter, spend some time creating, exploring, and most importantly, learning together!
With research and writing from Grace Frye.
