Each snowflake is said to be completely unique in shape, size and patter – meaning that no snowflake will ever have a matching counterpart. How amazing and interesting is this world we live in! During the winter season, take advantage of the snowy days and incorporate weather into your lesson planning.

This Lesson Teaches Students All About Snow (at the end, kids can engineer and construct their very own unique snowflakes).

What is snow?

We all know snow is cold and wet to touch, but what is it made out of? Believe it or not, snow is made out of dirt particles and water vapour that has frozen around the dust, to form crystals. The flakes start out very small, but grow as the crystals join to form patterns.

How does snow fall?

Snow occurs when water vapors in the air freeze before they can turn into water. This happens when the temperature in the clouds is very cold. Snowflakes are made up of crystals of ice that have formed around bits of dirt in the air. The snowflakes start out very small and grow. Each snowflake is different and might contain up to 200 crystals. - http://easyscienceforkids.com/how-is-snow-made/

Why do all snowflakes look different?

The way a snowflake is formed depends on many things, for instance: the time it takes for the water vapor to freeze, the size and amount of dust particles there are in the air, the force of the wind, and also, the manner in which all of the crystals connect with each other to form patterns and individual snowflakes. All of these varying factors make it very difficult for any snowflakes to look the same!

Construct, Create and Engineer your own Snowflakes

Kids learn best by learning through fun, that’s how I feel anyway! By letting students make their own snowflakes, the get a better idea of why each one is so unique and how truly amazing science can be. The creations can then be used to decorate classrooms or even Christmas trees!

Here’s what you will need for your engineering activity:

A muffin tray to organise all your bits and bobs
Glue, string and other binding materials
Construction items that are suited to the activity, for example: cotton wool, lolly sticks, blue and silver sequins, earbuds, buttons, straws, beads etc.

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Time to get creative!

Lay all of the materials out for the children to have easy access to. Then let their imaginations go wild! Let them use their logic and problem-solving skills to engineer patterned and sturdy snowflakes, with the idea that pattern repetition of each snowflake is a key detail.

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This activity actually offers endless learning opportunities, from learning about snow and weather to building logic and encouraging creativity. Did I mention that the little crafted items make a beautiful decorative item, or it can even be given as a gift! I really do love educational activities that drift away from text books and allow students to get actively involved in the learning process.

Source Link: http://www.paper-and-glue.com/2017/01/winter-stem-build-snowflake-tinker-tray.html