Snow days are great when you’re a kid—a day off from school to play in the snow! But for a parent, it can be a challenge to keep the kids busy throughout the day. Edutopia has resources for teachers and families to turn snow days into learning opportunities. Here are some highlights.
How Snowflakes are Formed
You may have watched a TED talk or two, but TED-Ed talks are short videos from educators brought to life by professional animators. If you’ve ever had a child ask how snowflakes form or why they are shaped the way they are, this five-minute video on the science of snowflakes answers those questions and more. To go beyond the video, the National Snow & Ice Data Center has a Snow Science page that explains even more about snow (e.g., the types of snow crystals, the types of snowfall, and the types of snow formations), with lots of pictures to go with the easy to understand descriptions.
Do Some Science Experiments
The Exploratorium in San Francisco was one of the first hands-on science museums. The museum also provides Science Snacks on their website—short, easy to do experiments that use common household items. There are well over 100 experiments on the site, so find one or two that interests your budding Einstein.
Snow Day Bingo
Edutopia created a Snow Day Bingo card with items to check off throughout the day. It is probably not an accident that “Watched Frozen” is on the card twice.
Don’t let a snow day be just shoveling and worrying about how to keep the kids entertained. Check out the full article for over a dozen activities to fill a snow day with more than just playing video games and eating snacks.
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