Ask Ollie
Snowflake Catcher Lab
Here's one to try together!
Catch real snowflakes on a frozen black sheet and peek at their tiny arms before they melt away!
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- Cold: dress warmly, and come inside as soon as fingers start to feel cold
- Icy ground is slippery: walk slowly
- Never look at the sun through the magnifying glass
- A spoon straight from the freezer can stick to skin: never lick it
What you need
- Paper, 1 sheet black paper or dark cloth
- Magnifying glass, 1
- Crayons or markers, 1 pencil and 1 white crayon
- Paper, 1 sheet for drawing (optional)
- Freezer space
- Metal spoon (no-snow frost version), 1 (optional)
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Pick a time when snow is falling, clear a flat spot in the freezer, and lay out warm outdoor clothes so everyone can head out quickly.
- Lay the black paper flat in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bundle up in your hat, mittens, scarf and boots while it chills.
- Carry the frozen paper outside and hold it out to the falling snow.
- Hold very still and let a few snowflakes land on your paper. Ask: What shape do you think the snowflakes will be when we zoom in?
- Zoom in quickly with the magnifying glass before they melt!
- Count the arms on each snowflake you can see. Ask: How many arms did you count? Do all the flakes have the same number?
- Head inside and draw your snowflakes with the white crayon.
- Hunt for twins: check if any two of your snowflakes match.
- Catch again at a colder or warmer time of day. Do the shapes change? Ask: Which snowflake was your favorite, and when do you think we'll find the best stars?
Play it again
- No snow frost lab: chill a metal spoon in the freezer for 15 minutes, hold it by the handle, breathe on it and watch fog and frost appear under the magnifier. Never lick or press skin on the frozen spoon.
- Snowflake bingo: draw six shapes (star, plate, needle, clump, broken, tiny) and tick them off as you catch them.
- Speed catch: see how many arms you can count in one minute before the flakes melt.
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