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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Build, measure, plan, observe! These are all fun things kids can do with snow.

Grab the ideas in this post to explore winter outdoors with your preschooler. We've got lots of fun ways to observe the environment and talk about the weather.

Kids can use all their senses to explore winter 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?

Changes in temperature and precipitation, and even wind, provide lots of opportunity to exercise observational skills. 

Initiate discussions with open-ended questions to challenge scientific thinking. Make experimentation and discovery part of the play.

Get outside and enjoy some winter science!

Adventures in Winter Science

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 bristling 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!

Winter outdoor science for preschool and kindergarten

More winter science ideas!

Bring some snow inside to observe how it can be shaped, how it feels, how it smells, and why it melts.

Use all your senses, inside and outside, to explore winter.

Winter Activities