When people think of instant snow, they often picture holiday centerpieces and winter parties, but artificial snow makes for a fun activity for preschool and elementary classrooms, too. It’s especially helpful for classrooms in places that receive little to no snowfall since artificial snow offers an experience that is nearly identical to real snow. There are so many uses for fake snow that you may have trouble narrowing down the activities you want your students to engage in with the snow. Below are some ideas to help you create a fun learning environment with fake snow.
Early Learning Sensory Table
Toddlers and preschoolers love interactive learning, especially if they can get their hands on something with a unique texture. With instant snow, you can fill a sensory table, kiddie pool, or big bucket with gallons of artificial snow. Children can have fun finding items in the snow, digging, and exploring the texture and temperature of the snow. The colder the water you use to make the snow, the colder the snow will feel. This makes it easy to replicate the look and feel of actual snow for children who have never seen or touched snow before.
Thematic Units for Snow
Seasonal thematic units will come to life with instant snow. Children don’t have to be limited to reading stories about snow or watching movies with snow to get an idea of what snow is like. With artificial snow, kids can play in it, build with it, dig in it, and imagine that it’s real snow. By freezing the snow, it’s easy to make snowballs. Teachers can also enhance student learning by using the snow when doing a weather unit, an ice unit, or a unit on the four seasons. With so many options, it can be difficult to choose just one learning experience.
Outdoor Snow Day
If you live in an area that receives little to no snowfall, you can order hundreds of gallons of instant snow to create an outside winter wonderland. Elementary school children will love this because it’s something they rarely (if ever) experience and, even though the artificial snow will melt faster outdoors, it’s a realistic learning experience about what happens to snow when the temperature rises. While artificial snow will remain a favorite for parties, it’s the perfect substitute for the real thing for classrooms.
