Science Smarts: Saving snowflakes

By PATTY ROOKS on January 22, 2022.

With all of the melting out there the past few days, I am a bit sad that there may not be any snow left very soon.

Have you ever wondered how can we save these beautiful flakes of snow in order to enjoy them later on in the year? Or perhaps do some experimenting with them later on? Have you ever really examined a snowflake under a magnifying glass or microscope? Did you know that there are no two snowflakes that are the same? Hmm…maybe this could be a great science fair project?

The forecast is calling for some fresh flakes in the next day or two so get saving these snowflakes so we can do some investigating later on. Let’s get started!

Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment.

Materials

• A snowy day – preferably with no wind blowing

• Warm winter clothes: mittens, snow pants, scarf, hat and winter jacket

• Several sheets of black construction paper

• Magnifying glass/microscope

• Soft fluffy paintbrush

• Toothpicks

• Small square of glass/old picture frame OR microscope slides

• Aerosol hair spray

• Storage box/container to hold all of your materials

• Safe storage place outside where it is COLD

Procedure

1. Gather all of your science materials (except for the clothes you will wear) and place in the storage box. It is important to be organized and have this all gathered up BEFORE you start your experiment.

2. Place the storage box outside in a cold location for at least four hours. These materials need to be FREEZING COLD!

3. Wait for the snow to come… quickly put on your warm winter clothes and get outside to do some investigating.

4. Grab your science materials and remove one of the black sheets of construction paper.

5. Holding only the edges of the construction paper, catch some snowflakes. Do not touch them with your fingers; use the toothpicks or soft paintbrushes to move them around if you need to.

6. Using the magnifying glass, observe the snowflakes.

7. Do they all look the same? Different?

8. Let’s save these for later so we can observe them in a warmer location for better accuracy:

a. Spray the piece of glass/slide lightly with the hairspray – you want it to be sticky.

b. Catch some snowflakes.

c. Allow the glass/snowflakes to dry out in the cold for several hours. A good place to do this would be to carefully set them in your storage box or a shelf in the garage (if it is not heated of course).

d. Once the hairspray is dry, you can take your glass/slide inside as the snowflake shape will be imprinted there.

What is going on?

In the research I have done, it says each snowflake is completely unique. This happens due to the sensitive nature of how they are formed.

Snowflakes start as tiny cold water droplets that get carried into the atmosphere where they meet microscopic particles such as pollen or dust in the air. As they begin to freeze into ice crystals they grow in symmetrical shapes in the atmosphere.

Some snowflakes are made of a single crystal and look rod shaped. Other, more elaborate snowflakes can be made of hundreds of crystals. The exact shape of the snowflake can be due many factors including: the temperature, humidity, amount of water, and the size of the pollen or dust particle.

Snowflakes that look like thin hexagonal needles can occur in colder air while the most intricate shapes and plates occur when it is slightly warmer and slightly more humid.

Do not forget about Praxis if you need help in the classroom with your science fair project! We can meet virtually or in person depending on your needs.

Patty Rooks, Senior Scientific Consultant PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community”. Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. NOTE our NEW address: #12 826 11 Street S. E., Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca.

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