Looking for fun and educational ways to bring STEM learning into your homeschool or classroom this winter? These winter-themed activities are perfect for exploring science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on projects that celebrate the season. From measuring snow and studying glaciers to investigating the science behind snowflakes and symmetry, these activities will keep students engaged all winter long. Grab your winter coat and get ready to dive into these exciting winter STEM activities!
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1. Measure snow like a scientist
If you live somewhere that gets snow in winter, you’ve likely measured the depth of snow before! But with a few extra steps, you can turn this simple task into an awesome, hands-on snow science activity.
Start by learning about snow water equivilent and how to calculate it. This can be a great way to start a conversation about snow in the water cycle, and the ways snow supplies our rivers and aquifers with an important input of water.
You can find the full activity directions for a snow measurements activity in my blog! Or better yet, you can save time and support my blog when you purchase the printable worksheets and directions for this activity in my complete Science in the Snow Unit.
☞ Upgrade your outdoor learning:
Measuring snow with your students? You can track the snow all winter long by placing a metal snow gauge in your yard or outdoor learning area. Whether you’re teaching in the classroom or at home, you can create an inspiring outdoor learning area for studying snow, weather, and more.
2. Explore glaciers and climate science
Why study glaciers this winter? Glaciers tie in to many important science topics – not just geology and landforms, but also climate science, sea level rise, and water resources! Glaciers are an important reservoir of frozen freshwater on earth. However, glaciers all over the world are receeding and disappearing due to climate change, putting communities at risk of flooding and altering ecosystems.
Furthermore, glaciers teach scientists about our Earth’s past! Glacial ice is like a time capsule, holding important clues about the history of our Earth and its climate. By studying glaciers, students can learn about and discuss the past, present, AND future of our climate!
Ready to study glaciers? You can read more about the types of glaciers and how they form in my blog post! Or better yet, you can save time and support my blog when you purchase my Glaciers Unit – complete with classroom activities, worksheets, handouts and more.
3. Read about how snowflakes form
If you’ve ever looked at a snowflake under a microscope or magnifying glass, you know that each snowflake is a unique, beautiful formation. But how do these amazing water crystal structures form? It all starts high in earth’s atmosphere, with a dust particle and water vapor. Since every snowflake takes a slightly different path to the ground, each snowflake runs into unique conditions along the way. These different experiences impact the way each snowflake forms.
Learning about the formation of snow ties in to studies of meterology and the three phases of water. Because of this, snowflake formation is an engaging winter science topic at many different levels.
Need materials for studying snowflakes? Read a step-by-step description of how snowflakes form in my blog post! Or, find printable snowflake formation materials in my Snowflake Mini Study or in my complete Geometry in the Snow Unit.
4. Learn about symmetry with paper snowflakes
When it comes to geometry, snowflakes provide a great tool for learning about symmetry with a winter-y twist! Cutting paper snowflakes from coffee filters or paper is a great hands-on way to study rotational symmetry, planes of symmetry, and more!
Paper snowflakes are an easy activity to DIY! But if you’re looking for a little guidance, I’ve got you covered. Activity directions and worksheets for a paper snowflakes & lines of symmetry lesson are also found in my Geometry in the Snow Unit.
5. Study the animals of the poles!
Winter is the perfect time to study the survival strategies of animals that live in the coldest places on earth! Topics could include survival strategies like migration, hibernation, and insulation or the food webs and ecosystems of the Arctic or Antarctic.
Studying and modeling arctic food webs is a fun, hands-on ecology activity that students love. You can learn how to build your own food webs in my blog post. Furthermore, you can learn all about arctic ecology and find materials for an arctic food webs lesson in my Arctic Unit.
Winter studies with Wild Earth Lab!
There’s no need to scramble to put together the perfect winter science lesson – I’ve already created some for you! The winter stem activities from this post come from my winter STEM units:
Explore more lessons from Wild Earth Lab:
If you enjoyed these winter stem activities, I know you will love trying my other science and nature units in your classroom too!
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