Maybe you have snow and freezing temperatures, or maybe you don’t! Whether you are shoveling the white stuff or lounging by a palm tree, there’s still winter! When the weather turns chilly or not so chilly, why not try some playful winter activities for preschool and elementary kids. Avoid cabin fever this season and keep your kids learning and playing with many great science experiments and STEM projects!
WINTER SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
WINTER THEME
The changing seasons are perfect for incorporating different types of science activities into your play time or school lessons. Kids love themes and a winter theme makes simple science experiments and activities so much more engaging.
These engaging, hands on winter science and STEM activities invite kids to explore, test, think, observe, and discover!. Experimenting leads to discoveries and discoveries spark curiosity!
Kids are always learning about how the world works around them and classic science experiments are an easy choice. These winter science experiments are simple to set up and use only a few materials.
WINTER SCIENCE
The winter science activities and experiments below include both physics and chemistry which can be easily explored by little hands with many playful activities that are very hands-on!
ALSO CHECK OUT: Science Activities For Preschoolers
WHAT IS CHEMISTRY?
Chemistry is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up including atoms and molecules. It’s also how these materials act under different conditions. Chemistry is often a base for physics, so you should plan to see some overlap!
What might you experiment with in chemistry? Classically we think of a mad scientist and lots of bubbling beakers, and yes there are plenty of reactions between bases and acids to enjoy! Also, chemistry involves states of matter, changes, solutions, mixtures, and the list goes on and on.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Chemistry Experiments For Kids
WHAT IS PHYSICS?
Physics is all about energy and matter and the relationship they share with one another. Like all sciences, physics is all about solving problems and figuring out why things do what they do. Keep in mind that physics will involve chemistry too!
Kids are great for questioning everything anyway.
In our physics activities some of the things you are going to learn a little bit about are static electricity, Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion, simple machines, buoyancy, density, and more! And all with easy household supplies.
Encourage your kids to make predictions, discuss observations, and re-test their ideas if they don’t get the desired results the first time. Science always includes an element of mystery that kids naturally love to figure out!
ALSO CHECK OUT: Physics Experiments For Kids
WINTER SCIENCE FOR EVERYONE
Very few of these winter science activities below actually include real snow. This list is perfect no matter where you live including areas that never see snow or areas that do get snow but it’s unpredictable! Many of these winter science experiments can be done regardless of the weather conditions where you live!
Don’t forget to grab your FREE…
Winter STEM Challenge Cards
WINTER SOLSTICE SCIENCE
If you are planning ahead of time, make sure to include fun winter solstice activities! The winter and summer solstices are two very important times during the year.
WINTER NATURE ACTIVITIES
Take care of your feathered friends as you explore winter science and learn about the birds in your backyard. Make these kid friendly birdseed ornaments that kids of all ages can help with too! Set up a bird watching area complete with binoculars and books on local birds!
FUN WINTER SCIENCE ACTIVITIES
Click on all the links in blue below to check out some (brrrr) cool science. You will find winter theme science experiments including slime, fizzy reactions, ice melting, real snow, oobleck, crystal growing, and more.
1. Snow Candy
2. Snow Ice Cream
This super easy, 3-ingredient snow ice cream recipe is perfect this season for a yummy treat. It’s a bit different to our ice cream in a bag science experiment, but still lots of fun!
3. Snow Volcano
4. Snowflake Salt Painting
Have you ever tried salt painting for a quick winter craft activity? We think snowflake salt painting is tons of fun.
5. Melting Snow Science
6. Frosty’s Magic Milk
A simple classic science activity with a wintery theme the kids love! Frosty’s magic milk is sure to be a favorite.
7. Snow Slime Recipes
We have the BEST slime recipes around. You can make our melting snowman slime, snowflake confetti slime, fluffy snow slime, snow floam, and more!
8. Ice Fishing
9. Snow Storm In A Jar
Set up an invitation to make a winter snow storm in a jar science experiment. Kids will love creating their own snowstorm with common household supplies, and they can even learn a bit about simple science in the process too.
10. How To Make Frost On A Can
11. Polar Bear Blubber Science Experiment
How can polar bears and other Arctic animals possibly stay warm out there with those freezing temperatures, icy water, and relentless wind? This super simple polar bear blubber science experiment will really help kids feel and see what keeps those big animals warm!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Whale Blubber Experiment
12. Design a Snowball Launcher
13. Make Fake Snow (not really science but lots of fun!)
Too much snow or not enough snow? It doesn’t matter when you know how to make fake snow! Treat the kids to an indoor snowman building session or fun winter sensory play with this super easy to make snow recipe!
13. Melting Snowmen
14. Snowflake Oobleck or Evergreen Oobleck
15. Crystal Snowflakes
You can enjoy your crystal snowflake ornaments all winter long with our simple borax crystal growing recipe!
16. Salt Crystal Snowflakes
17. Snowflake Science with YouTube
MORE FUN PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
- Dinosaur Activities
- Farm Activities For Preschoolers
- Preschool Books & Activities
- Apple Activities
- Ocean Science Activities
WINTER SCIENCE ACTIVITIES AND STEM PROJECTS FOR KIDS
More science and STEM all year round
Science Kiddo
January 29, 2015 at 7:07 amI love this roundup! So many fun things to do with ice and snow this winter 🙂 Thank you for including our Fishing for Ice experiment!