This page includes links to resources to go along with my Science in the Snow STEM Unit. Find Science in the Snow and other nature-based units in my Shop!
1.) Freebies from Wild Earth Lab related to science in the snow:
2.) Snow and Water Resource Posts and Tutorials from Wild Earth Lab
3.) Learn More About Snow Hydrology and SWE – links for kids & families! (external links)
- The US Geological Survey has a great webpage all about some snow hydrologists and what they do! Get to know the scientists behind snowmelt research!
- The European Space Agency released this animated map that shows the locations of water stored as snow across the globe!
- Read this article from the University of Washington about how students study to become snow hydrologists.
4.) Learn more about the phases of water and water molecules – links for kids & families! (External links)
- A great series of Khan Academy videos explaining the basics of the water molecule
- Here are some water molecule basics and a nice diagram from Penn State.
- Worldofmolecules.com has some great “3D” images showing the arrangement of water molecules in ice.
- The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration explains how snowflakes form!
- This article from the Oxford Scientist does a great job explaining the formation of branches within snowflakes, on a molecular level!
- This article from PBS explains how salt battles road ice!
- If you have high school students, you may wish to expand on the topic of phase changes by learning about latent heat and performing calculations using the heat of vaporization and fusion. Here’s a good overview from APlusPhysics.com.
- Here are some videos about latent heat from Step by Step Science and by Khan Academy.
- Additionally, here is a online textbook chapter on latent heat and phase changes, with some practice problems at the bottom! This textbook chapter is from a college physics textbook and is made available through the Pressbooks initiative on the University of Hawai’i’s website, which offers many textbooks and other academic materials openly online.
5.) Additional free lesson plans and activity ideas from around the web for educators and parents (external links)
- A few phases of water activity ideas from exploratorium.edu.
- The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research’s Center for Science Education offers a free lesson plan/lab activity to help students visualize the three phases of water at the molecular level.
- A simpler Melting Ice With Salt lesson plan/lab activity from ThoughtCo.
- Or, a slightly more in-depth salt and ice science experiment from STEAM Powered Family.
- The National Park Service has a free introductory lesson plan (and a free vocabulary worksheet) about snowpack and SWE.
6.) Additional reference website links for educators and parents (external links)
- National Weather Service’s webpage with info on snow water equivalent (SWE).
- This review article by Anne W. Nolin explains recent advances in remote sensing of snow. The article has sections explaining different parameters related to snow that remote sensing may help measure.
- This article from MissoulaAvalanche.org explains SWE and SLR.
- This short article from the University of Wyoming gives details about different areas of research within the field of snow hydrology.
