A Toddler and Early Years STEM experiment – Making Snow

Sandra Beale is a BBC STEM Freelancer, Toddler STEM Contributor to Nursery World, STEM Ambassador Silver Badge holder (200+ hours), and Britain’s leading toddler STEM expert, sharing playful, hands‑on science activities for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Her book 50 Fantastic Ideas for STEM Activities won the Creative Play Learning Resources 0–3 Award, and her work has been featured across BBC platforms and national early‑years media.

Sandra has been running Toddler and Early Years STEM for 11 years, delivering sessions at the Cambridge Science Centre, Saffron Walden Museum, local schools and nurseries, and community venues across the country.

And now a fantastic blogger with MMB Magazine.

I thought a fun experiment that you could try over Christmas in your Early Years setting or at home could be making snow. It’s great fun and the children at my sessions love it!

Ask your preschoolers or Key Stage 1 children to gather around. They could either sit around the table or stand. I always find that being flexible with seating arrangements makes for more enjoyable experiences for Children and their caregivers.

Once they are settled, you could start by discussing snow and its different textures. Discuss making snowmen or a snowy scene. Then tell them that they are going to make snow using a few simple ingredients.

Watch the You Tube Video Of How To Make Snow With Sandra

Materials Required

Large baking tray (2 or 3 depending on the number of children)
Bicarb
Blue or purple food colouring (to add a bit of colour if necessary)
Clear oil like Baby oil (I use Johnson and Johnson as its readily available online)
Clear vinegar and pipettes (optional)
Pinecones, twigs, leaves from the garden
Pompoms or glitter to decorate (optional)
Small dolls or houses or small world settings could add to the fun but is not necessary.

Method

Fill the tray with bicarb
Squirt some baby oil in and ask the children to use their hands to make snowballs
Squirt a few drops of food colouring in the mix if needed
Help the children make snowmen or a winter’s scene with pinecones and foliage found from the garden.
Allow the children to play with the snow they have made then suggest making the snow fizz by squirting vinegar on the snow.
Ask the children to record their observations.

Taking it Forward

You could ask the children to test flour or sugar with clear oil and ask them if they get the same snow- like consistency as bicarb and oil. Ask them what they think works best.
Help them make snowballs with the different consistencies – flour, sugar and bicarb and then roll the snowballs down a ruler ramp in the tray to check which one comes apart more easily.
Alternatively, you could ask the children to paint their snowballs and drop them on white paper to make interesting splat patterns.

Try another experiment A Toddler And Early Years STEM Experiment – Lava Lamp