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Capture a Snow Storm

Capture a Snow Storm

January 23, 2020

Winter is here and the days are chilly! With temperatures this low, a lot of you may find some time stuck indoors and looking for a new activity to try. Check out this fun activity to create a snowstorm in a jar, and you don’t have to wear gloves.

Items Needed:

  • 1 large jar or similar container
  • Bowl
  • Baby Oil
  • Water
  • White Paint
  • Glitter (Try blue, silver or white to go with the snow theme)
  • Alka Seltzer
  • Optional: Blue food coloring

Steps:

  1. Fill the jar ¾ full of baby oil.
  2. Pour 1 cup of water into the bowl, and add 1 teaspoon of white paint.
  3. Mix the water and paint together until fully mixed.
  4. Pour this mix into the jar, leaving a little room at the top.
  5. Sprinkle in glitter and add blue food coloring if using. Wait for the glitter and food coloring to settle on the bottom of the jar.
  6. Open the Alka Seltzer tablets and break up one into pieces. Drop a piece into the jar and watch the snow storm start!
  7. Add more Alka Seltzer and watch the storm happen all over again. What happens when you add a whole tablet of Alka Seltzer? Do the oil and water mix with each other?

Snow is a Jar is Cool! What’s Happening?

There’s a lot of science going on in that “snowy” jar. You can observe the difference in density of the two liquids. The oil sits on the top of the jar because it’s less dense than water. You can also study the results of the Alka Seltzer, which is made of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid, when mixed with water. When it comes into contact with water, it creates carbon dioxide gas that bubbles up. To make it a true experiment, try the activity using a different kind of oil. Will vegetable oil mix with water? Is it less dense? What do you think will happen?

Source: http://lemonlimeadventures.com/snow-storm-in-a-jar-weather-science-for-kids/

Photo credit: http://www.thisfarmfamilyslife.com/2015/01/snowstorm-in-jar.html