Snowman in a bottle

A simple winter science exploration that your students will enjoy!

I will be sharing a series on discovery bottles as my part of the Kid Blogging Network series titled “The ABC’s of…”.  There are tons of bloggers who will be sharing all kinds of posts from the ABC’s of literacy to the ABC’s of Cooking with Kids.  As I prepare for my part of the ABC series – and while we have lots of snow on the ground – I want to share a snowman in a bottle and I am hoping the snow will stay around long enough so my students can give this activity a try when we get back to school…

The snowman in a bottle is a simple science exploration of melting snow.  Since science in early childhood education is all about building vocabulary as well as exploring new processes, the snowman in a bottle is an inviting process to introduce words such as cold, warm, snow, snowman, melt, solid, liquid, and time…

Preparing the Activity

To prepare for this activity, you will need plastic bottles (or this can also be done in plastic baggies), snow, and a way to add eyes and a nose.   I have tried this process in a baggie and in a bottle and it is just as fun either way…

Begin by filling a bottle with snow which is more challenging than it may seem. It takes a little poking and pounding to get the snow into the bottle.  Once there seems to be plenty of snow in the bottle, then drop in a nose and add some eyes to the outside of the bottle…

Next, set the bottle in a warm place or by a window with some sunlight so the snow will begin to melt. My snowman took about 1 hour to melt completely…

Observing and Documenting

For older preschoolers, you may want to include some simple documentation of the melting process.  One way to document the process is to have the children draw the snow man before it melts then again after it melts.  Here is my own documentation to give you the idea…

 You will notice that the changes which can be documented include the change from snow to water and the movement of the nose. I didn’t wait to document until all or most of my snow melted but ideally, it would be better to wait…

Once the snow melts all the way, the children can choose to fill the bottle back up again or take home their melted snowman.  You might even brainstorm how the children could keep a snowman from melting. I am looking forward to the conversations that will take place in my own classroom. Now if we can keep that snow around just a little longer…

A gift for you!

If you would like the pdf document I made for this process, just click here: Snowman in a Bottle PDF and save a copy for yourself!

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Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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