Melting Snowman Experiment

For our younger scientists, celebrating the seasons means picking out special themes that kids love! Snowmen in winter are always popular and our melting snowman activity is always a hit. Make a snowman and then watch what happens for fun winter science activities for preschoolers you can do in a classroom group or at home!

MELTING SNOWMAN BAKING SODA EXPERIMENT

FUN MELTING SNOWMAN BAKING SODA SCIENCE WINTER ACTIVITY

FUN WINTER SCIENCE FOR KIDS

The best part of this snowy winter science experiment is that you don’t need real snow to enjoy it! That means everyone can try it. Plus you have everything you need in the kitchen to get started.

This baking soda experiment does have to be prepped ahead of time, but it’s not difficult at all! You can make them in any shape you want. We have even used small paper cups which you will see below.

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family of melting snowmen waiting for vinegar for quick winter chemistry

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MELTING SNOWMAN

You will want to make these snowman guys and gals in the morning for afternoon play or in the evening for morning play! The kids can easily help and mold their own snowmen. See an alternative for using little cups below.

SUPPLIES:

Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Water
Black Beads or Google Eyes
Orange Foam Paper
Basters, Eyedroppers, or Spoons
Glitter and Sequins

baking soda and glitter in a bowl waiting for water to be added to make melting snowmen

HOW TO MAKE BAKING SODA SNOWMEN!

STEP 1. Start by slowly adding water to a good amount of baking soda. You want to add just enough until you get a crumbly but pack-able dough. It shouldn’t be runny or soupy or like our snowflake oobleck STEP 2. Pack the mixture together to make them into snowballs! You can use plastic cling wrap to help keep the shape if needed. STEP 3. Gently press two beads or google eyes and an orange triangle nose into the snowball for the snowman’s face. You can also mix in buttons and sequins! STEP 4. Place in the freezer for as long as you like. The more frozen the balls, the longer it will take to melt them!

fizzing snowball snowman for winter science, use plastic wrap to help form snowball

Alternatively, you can make these melting snowmen inside small plastic or paper cups as seen below. You can add a face to the bottom of the cup and then pack the picture in on top of it. It’s a quick and easy way to make a whole team of snowmen!

Snowman baking soda science activity set up

HOW TO MAKE YOUR SNOWMEN FIZZ

It’s time for the fizzing fun with your baking soda snowmen! STEP 1. Set out your snowman activity with a baster, eyedropper, squirt bottle or spoon, and a bowl of vinegar. You will want to make sure to put your snowmen on a tray or dish that will hold the liquid. You can even add a drop of blue food coloring to the vinegar for an icy blue winter look! It made the dish so pretty as the snowmen fizz. Of course, you can add even more glitter for a festive look! STEP 2. Add vinegar to the baking soda snowmen and watch what happens!

winter science with baking soda and vinegar in a snowball

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SNOWMEN?

It may look like the baking soda snowmen are melting away when you add the vinegar. However melting involves a physical change of state from a solid to a liquid, like our melting crayons.

Instead of melting, a chemical reaction occurs between the baking soda and the vinegar and it produces a new substance called carbon dioxide gas. This happens when a base (baking soda) and an acid (vinegar) mix. That’s all the bubbling and fizzing you can hear, see, smell, and touch!

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This snowman activity makes for a great preschool science experiment. It’s the perfect theme for wintertime and will really get the kids excited to learn more this year! At the end, we enjoyed winter sensory play with the activity that was left. We talked about the cold vinegar water and the fizziness from the gas that was created. We stirred it for more fizzing action and used our hands to pick up the melting snowmen.