Winter Crafts and Science Projects for Kids

We love a good winter craft or science project, so we’ve scoured the web for some really fun ones that will be appropriate for a variety of ages and require only easy-to-find things you probably have at home already. We are linking to the original posts that shared these ideas so you can find the full instructions on the authors’ websites.

Coffee Filter Snowflakes

Coffee filters absorb color really nicely and have a beautiful transparency when painted, making them a beautiful, colorful window decoration for dreary winter days. To make this craft you just need:

Coffee filters
Washable markers
Water spray
Scissors
Paper clips

Check out the Printables Fairy website for templates and how-to instructions!

Quick Snowflake Crystals

This fun project from Steamsational offers a science lesson with sparkle! With easy-to-follow instructions and explanation of the science behind this project, this is a really quick and fun winter science project to wow your kids.

To do this project you will need:
Borax powder
Pipe cleaners
Food coloring (blue or purple are pretty for a frozen look)
Glass jars so you can see the crystals form
Pencils

Please check out Steamsational for how-to instructions for this project!

Ice Painting

A great project for preschoolers, ice painting is a novel way of using watercolors with the mess (mostly) contained in a plastic tub (thumbs up for that!!).

Here’s what you need to complete this project:
Shallow plastic tub
Large paintbrushes
Watercolors
Ice cubes or a bag of ice
Jar of water

Please visit the Modern Preschool website for full instructions!

Snow Volcano

Just like your classic baking soda/vinegar volcano project, but with a winter twist, this Snow Volcano uses a structure of snow. With limited clean-up outdoors, this is a winner!

To do this project you will need:
Plastic jar (large yogurt container works well)
Vinegar
Baking soda
Food coloring
Dish soap
Measuring cups

Please visit Steamsational to read more about the science behind this project and to get the full how-to!

Magic Salt & Watercolor Snowflakes

Watercoloring is one of our favorite ways to calm down after a busy day, and this project has a fun little twist or two that makes it just a little bit magic too! Use a white crayon to draw snowflakes on your watercolor paper first and you will get a really nice wax resist effect, and then a sprinkle of salt at the end (while the paint is wet) adds to the effect!

To do this project you will need:
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paint
White crayon
Paint brushes
Table salt

Please visit One Little Project for more how-to instructions and a helpful video!

Snowstorm in a Jar

This is a mesmerizing science activity for kids, reminiscent of a lava lamp. Glitter isn’t required but it does make for a prettier ‘storm’ in the jar! Find this easy how-to at Mombrite.com.

Baby oil(you can use vegetable oil as well but the liquid will be yellow)
White paint
Alka-Seltzer tablets
Clear glass jar
Glitter (optional)

Ice Balloons

Though these beauties are as simple as can be, they are really fun and so pretty to play with in the white snow. Kids love them! Just make a water balloon filled with food-coloring-dyed water in your kids’ favorite colors. Freeze (outdoors is fine if below freezing, as we are here in Maine!) and then carefully cut away the balloon–this is a job for a grown-up. Kids love these colorful orbs. They’re really fun for decorating snow forts! Photo credit to EatGrinchly.com, where you will also find more ideas to make this project a hit!

To complete this project you will need:
Balloons
Food coloring

Snow Dough

Buggy and Buddy has a really simple recipe for a Snow Dough that is really easy to pack into “snow” balls or sculptures, and also crumbly, just like its namesake!

To make this Snow Dough you will need:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water

Read the full instructions at BuggyandBuddy.com.