Snowflake Science Unit
Have you ever gone down a rabbit hole? I guess, technically, neither have I. However, today we did not set out with the intention on studying snowflakes, their origin, crystal structure, or even The Snowflake Man, but that is where today’s homeschool adventure took us. Has that ever happened to you? Those are often the best studies. They can be a little chaotic while you navigate your way, but there is an excitement to it. It all started with story time books. For whatever reason, my three youngest picked out stories revolving around snow. After reading three tales of wintery stories, I thought it might be fun to make paper snowflakes. The day went from there… Join us for a Snowflake Science Unit!
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It all started with snowy wintery story time books...
My favorite way to start off a unit study is with books. It is a no-fail method to use when beginning any successful unit study. This day of snowflake science started with a small pile of books centered around snow. You may like some of the following titles to start your snowflake science day: The Snowy Day, The Snowman, Snow, and Snow.
Make Paper Snowflakes
Normally, I would never start a unit with a craft. When I think of crafts, it is an activity that I usually add onto the end of a unit. So, for me, this veered from my normal teaching routine. For today, it worked, but you may want to hold out on the craft until the closing of the unit. Almost as a treat…
This video was the first one we tried, but I have to admit that we watched a few others too. Honestly, I have never been good at making snowflakes. But after several attempts, we all made at least one. Some of my kids love doing crafts, while others resist it… just remember they are all different and that is why it is so important to have many layers of learning.
This is what family style craft time looks like at our house...
It's snowing!
As you can see from the picture, we all made our own unique one of a kind snowflake. One thing that we kept reading and hearing about during the videos and books was how no two snowflakes are alike. In reality, snowflakes do have similarities, so they are alike. They just aren’t exactly the same. Neither are we the exact same. God made us all in His image. We are all sinners. We all need Him, and yet we are all different in our own way. When we stand alone, we may not seem like much, but when we stand together we are something very special… the church. Think about it… one snowflake is just one snowflake. But millions, even billions of snowflakes shut down cities. How powerful a snowflake can be when it is paired with its snow family! This was just one side conversation we had today.
How do Snowflakes Form?
While I was looking for other videos on how to make a paper snowflake, I ran into another video titled, “How do Snowflakes Form?” That is when the day (and next) became devoted to learning all about snowflakes. Here are a few videos that caught our interest. Since my kids range in age from Pre-K to 5th grade, it is necessary to provide more than one level of explanation. One video may appeal to my younger ones, while another resonates with my older ones.
"The Story of Snow" Read Aloud - Science Reader
Personally, I wish we had the tangible version. So, if you have time, put a hold on it at the library.
Usually I order books ahead of time through the library hold system when planning for a unit study. Once my books are ready, I know that we will be starting that unit the following week. However, in this case, since our snowflake study was done on a fly, we opted for, “The Story of Snow.” It was offered as a read aloud and was quite informational.
Anatomy of Snowflakes
This video breaks down the anatomy of a snowflake and points out how snowflakes are categorized. The informational notes were intriguing and ideal for your older students or science lovers.
Microscopic Pictures of Snowflakes
It’s funny one thing leads you to another and so on. As looking through videos on snowflakes, I ran into microscopic images by a man named Wilson Bentley. The second video featured below shows the work of a man who photographed over 5000 snowflakes using a contraption he rigged with an old school camera and microscope attached. Some may say the man was obsessed, others would claim his genius and awe over his work. It truly is a sight to be seen. Worth viewing.
If you are able to order, “Snowflakes in Photographs,” by W.A. Bentley then I would encourage you to do so. To see the photos firsthand would be my preference. Art in a unique form.
Snowflake Bentley - Read Aloud
Amazing that his work is still to this day remarkable AND it was published in 1931!
It didn’t take long to stumble upon this kid-friendly fiction book based on The Snowflake Man, Wilson Bentley. What a wonderful story to accompany our snowflake science day. Snowflake Bentley was a wonderful story. I love how refreshing his passion was. It went against the grain to do something unexpected and spectacular.
The Snowflake Man - Who was Wilson Bentley?
For your visual learners, you may appreciate this short film about Snowflake Bentley. At just over 8 minutes long, this video is well worth the screen time. After it concluded, the discussion we had was insightful into my kids minds about their aspirations.
Salt Crystal Snowflakes
Sometimes you need to find a quick hands-on science lab that requires little prep and uses materials you have on hand. Normally, I pull from my own bag of science activities, but today I was looking for something out of my usual with a snowflake twist. I found several that could have worked, but there were two that resonated with me more than others.
The first one I thought was great for younger kids. It was the simplest of all of them. It only required a cut-out blue construction paper snowflake, salt water, and a shallow dish. You can’t get much simpler than that. I found this particular Salt Crystals Snowflake lab to be easy and completely approachable. You know sometimes when you look at a lab and think, “Yeah, no, not for me.” You won’t say that with this one. It is especially perfect for your younger kids. You can find the procedure and lab instructions at Little Bins for Little Hands.
This next salt crystal snowflake lab is just right for the older elementary students. It does require a few extra materials that the first does not, but nothing too crazy. Most of the items you will have on hand, pipe cleaners, string, mason jar, clothespin, and salt water. You can find the procedure of the lab at Living Well Mom. Have fun with it and watch the science of the snowflake… crystals!
Draw a Snowflake
Last but not least, this art project is just one more activity to add to your unit. It may not be for your student, but for those interested in such activities, this is an excellent time to talk about symmetry. We love Art Hub for Kids. It is easily accessible and a fun way to end your snowflake unit.
Food for thought...
Looking for a more permanent science curriculum? Even though we pursue various science units that encompass labs and such, we also use a science textbook each year. Some might say that our science units supplement our textbook, while others would say the opposite to be true. The labs, experiments, graphic organizers, videos, and other activities bring the textbook information to life.
We use Abeka Science textbooks. I love that they incorporate God and His sovereignty into their curriculum. When I taught in the public school system, I noticed that many of my students were lacking in vocabulary. This made it difficult for them to understand the why behind many of our investigations. Unfortunately, they were deficient in their background knowledge. Our science time would be lacking too if it weren’t for the rich vocabulary and science language that we find in our science textbook and readers. If you are interested in shopping for a full-time science curriculum or even just a textbook to guide you, click on the following link! Happy homeschooling!
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