Enjoy outdoor winter play with these simple science activities. The free printable provides inspiration for outdoor activities in the snow. Support creative thinking and observational skills with hands-on fun in the snow.
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What can kids do with snow? Build, measure, plan, observe! These are just some of the fun ways kids can enjoy winter weather, as they use all their senses to explore snow.
Can you see the wind? What does snow smell like? Why do our mittens get wet? How do the animals and birds keep warm inn winter?
Changes in temperature and precipitation, and even wind, provide lots of opportunity to exercise observational skills.
Grab the ideas in this post for some fun winter science, so you can explore snow and ice outdoors with your preschooler.
Adventures in Winter Science
These simple activities help make experimentation and discovery part of everyday play. Ask open-ended questions and point out interesting features to challenge scientific thinking.
Here are more activities to promote the use of all the senses to explore the environment in winter.
1. Take a walk through the neighborhood or back yard.
- See: Can you see icicles hanging from a tree branch?
- Are there any clouds in the sky? What color are the clouds?
- Touch: Can you feel wind on your cheeks? Are the tree branches waving or still?
- What is under our feet – slushy puddles or icy patches?
- Taste: What does fresh snow taste like?
- Can you catch a snowflake on your tongue? How does it taste?
- Hear: Can you hear a snowflake fall?
- Can you hear the wind?
- Smell: Does the snow have a smell?
- What does the wind smell like?
Talk about the temperature outside.
- A cloudy day might be mild with a steady snowfall; a sunny day might be cold with a brisk wind.
2. Use binoculars from the comfort of your home to study the environment outside a window.
- Is the wind blowing the snow into snowdrifts?
- Can you see anyone shoveling snow?
3. Download the free printable to start exploring with some fun winter science!
Use all your senses, inside and outside, to explore winter.
