Handouts are available at the bottom of this post in the Resources section.

Big Idea

The snow globe is a traditional artifact for the holidays. A DIY snow globe can easily be constructed using the following items:

• a Mason Jar,
• Water,
• little ornaments,
• glitter, and
• a glue gun (to glue ornaments to the inside of the mason jar lid)

But, besides making a homemade snow globe, how can you incorporate some science into it?

Instructions

One thing students can explore is the density of the materials that will be going into the snow globe: specifically, the glitter and other particles that will be suspended when the snow globe is shaken.

For example, besides glitter, plastic or Styrofoam pieces may be added to the snow globe to make the scene look snowy when shaken up. But, wouldn’t the white pieces float? What about the glitter, will it float?

Thus, in this activity, have students find the density of glitter, artificial snow, and anything else that will be suspended in the snow globe. Students can then compare what densities float and which sink. And, they might even find good materials that have the right density that sink or suspend well in the snow globe and also create a nice winter wonderland.

Watch the video for more details. And, good luck with this activity.

Resources

Handout(s): Handout – DIY Snow Globe Science

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