The Chocolate Muffin Tree: symmetry

Friday, December 28, 2012

Making GIANT Snowflakes

The other day we started making GIANT Snowflakes and it has been a HUGE hit with my daughter. These snowflakes have made wonderful window decorations that literally fill the sections of our windows. They make great holiday and Winter decorations to brighten up the drab days of Winter here in Ohio. Also, they would be a great way to bring some snow to warmer climates out there.

To make these GIANT Snowflakes you'll need:

Large White Gift Tissue

Scissors

The White Tissue Paper is great to use because you can fold this paper countless times cut easily through many layers. It is a little tricky to fold, but you could have the tissue pre-folded for your kids and show them how to cut shapes. My daughter mostly cut triangle shapes which is the easiest shape to cut.

Here are the steps. Basically you fold the square into a triangle and keep matching each corner to corner to create smaller triangles. Between steps 5 and 6 you want to round the top so the snowflake will be a circular shape. Then begin cutting shapes on each edge. My daughter mostly cut triangle shapes because that is the easiest shape to cut. You can definitely experiment with different shapes.

Have FUN! Children and adults get a lot of satisfaction from cutting snowflakes.

And it is always a surprise each time you open a folded snowflake. This activity could be a science experiment in which you predict what each snowflake might look like. It is a great lesson in symmetry too. Also, you could pair this activity with my Exploring Snowflakes...Up Close post and observe real snowflakes and learn about Wilson Bentley who took the first pictures of snowflakes. Look how big this snowflake is compared to my daughter....AWESOME!

Here is some of our window display from outside our house. They look wonderful! I'm sure it brightens everyone's day when they go by our house. I know it makes me smile each time I see them.

HAPPY WINTER!

Enjoy making snowflakes...

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Exploring Snowflakes... Up Close

Have you every really looked at snowflakes? Real snowflakes up close? Well, that is what Cassie and I did recently after finally getting some snow! (snow has been a precious commodity this winter) Either way this activity is fun to talk about even if you haven't had snow or live in an area with no snow accumulation. Here is a picture of what a snowflake can look like up close. Keep reading to find out how we did this activity and the fabulous book that we read too!

First we gathered a black piece of construction paper and a magnifying glass. Some sites like Weather Wiz Kids recommend putting the paper in the freezer, but it was a cold enough day for us!

Then we caught snowflakes on the black paper and our mittens. It was a little easier catching them on our dark mittens because our paper would blow about at times!!! We observed lots and lots of beauties! Each snowflake is truly different and it is nice to show this through this activity. C was a little scientest practicing her observation skills.

When we observed the snowflakes we saw all kinds of shapes very similar (but different) to these pictured below. Each snowflake is different depending on the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and how long it takes for the snowflakes to hit the ground. I'm sure if we observed snowflakes each time it snowed they would be different. If you don't have snow you could observe Snowflakes Photographs from a Google Image Search by clicking here. My daughter was fascinated at looking at the pictures too!!!

An excellent kid's book to go with this activity is Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs. It is a true story about a man, Wilson Bentley, whom they called "Snowflake Man". Wilson Bentley was obsessed with taking pictures of snowflakes in the late 1800's and early 1900's. He was the first to do this and had a true passion for doing this. He published a book in 1931, Snow Crystals ,with over 2,500 photographs of snowflakes!!! There is a Snowflake Bentley Museum too!