Make a Snow Storm in a Jar

Here’s an easy STEM project for when it’s too cold to go outside, or if you don’t have any real snow where you live to play in.

This snowstorm in a jar activity is pretty low prep, and similar to making “lava lamps,” though with an extra fizzy ingredient. You might have all the materials you need to do this one already. If not a trip to the grocery store will get you everything you need.

There are several scientific things happening in this experiment that give you a chance to talk about density and chemical reactions, but I’ll leave that to the blog post where you can find the how to and the why, at Little Bins for Little Hands.

[Photo: Little Bins for Little Hands.]

Stick Raft Building STEM Activity

Egg Drop STEM Challenge

STEAM activities (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) provide numerous benefits for children. These activities can help kids develop a wide range of skills, including:

Problem-solving: STEAM activities often involve solving complex problems, which helps children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Creativity: The arts component of STEAM activities encourages children to think creatively and express themselves in unique ways.

Collaboration: Many STEAM activities require children to work in teams, which helps them develop teamwork and collaboration skills.

STEM literacy: By participating in STEAM activities, children gain exposure to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts and develop their STEM literacy.

Career readiness: STEAM activities can help children explore different career paths and become more prepared for future jobs in STEM fields.

Confidence and motivation: Through STEAM activities, children can build confidence, improve their motivation, and increase their interest in STEM fields.

Overall, STEAM activities can be a fun and engaging way for children to learn important skills and explore their interests.

Next Plan Idea:

Snow Learning Activities

Human brains are pretty amazing, allowing us to think, feel, create, communicate, move and more. But humans aren’t the only animals with cool brains, as Crab Museum explains in the book The No-Brainer Brain Explainer (illustrated by Bruno Valasse).

This book, aimed at kids in grades 1-4, is colorful and silly but also educational about how brains actually work, with billions of neurons sending electrical and chemical signals around the body.

“Everything we think, feel and experience comes from an electrical relay race, with neurons passing chemical batons to each other,” the book says. “The constant chatter of billions of brain cells creates your entire world.”

The book compares the brains of mammals to those of crabs (the book is “written” by a crab after all) and notes that crabs have fewer neurons and of course are much smaller, but they have separate parts of their brains that control their eyes and their legs. Crabs are also capable of remembering things, using tools and solving puzzles.

Some animals’ brains allow them to know more about their world in different ways from humans, such as spiders being sensitive to vibrations in their webs and catfish having an amazing sense of taste, with taste sensors all over their bodies.

It notes that 95 percent of brain activity goes toward things we do unconsciously, like breathing, walking and catching a ball flying toward us. It also talks about dreams, memory, how our emotions try to predict the future, where brains came from and fun facts about brains. For example, did you know a sperm whale is believed to have the biggest brain of any creature that’s even lived? Their brains weigh 18 pounds, compared to just 2.5 pounds for humans.

Information on what creatures have the smallest brains, the toughest brains, the most brains and those who actually eat their own brains will delight kids (and maybe gross them out a little bit). They’ll also enjoy learning about the mycelium network of fungi, which is like a brain without a body, and slime molds, which are like a brain without a brain.

It ends talking about why human brains are so special because we’ve found ways to work together, communicate and build communities on a scale bigger than any other animal.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this colorful, silly and informational book about brains!

About the book: 64 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $19.99.

Next Plan Idea:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply