STEMing for Kids: Snowstorm in a Jar

CGEST Staff
Dec 22, 2021
2 min read

By: Christine Leavitt

Winter has come, and snow has already started to fall in some regions of the United States. However, for other areas, including the Phoenix Valley in Arizona, it is unlikely that snow will be in the forecast. For children who are hoping for some “snow play,” this is the perfect experiment! You can create a snowstorm in a jar while it is sunny and warm outside (see https://www.littlepassports.com/blog/science/make-snowstorm-jar/ and https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/winter-snow-storm-in-a-jar-science/).

To create a snowstorm in a jar, you will need the following items:

1. Baby oil (vegetable oil works too, but liquid will be yellow)

2. White washable paint

3. Alka Seltzer Tablets

4. Water

5. Mason Jar

6. Blue food coloring (optional)

7. Glitter (optional)

Fill ¼ of the Mason jar with water
Add at least 1 teaspoon of white paint, and stir until the mixture looks like milk
Pour baby oil in the jar until it is nearly full
Add the glitter and food coloring at this point if you would like for your winter wonderland to have sparkling snow and an icy blue base)
Once the water-paint mixture has settled at the bottom, add pieces of Alka Seltzer tablets to kick-off the snowstorm

While watching your snowstorm in a jar with your children, it is the perfect time to discuss some of the science behind the snowstorm. As seen through the separate layers of water and oil in the jar, water and oil do not mix. Water molecules are polar and have a small positive charge on one side and a negative charge on the other, which allows for water molecules to connect together like magnets. Oil molecules are non-polar and do not attract to water molecules, keeping these types of molecules separated.

Water is denser than oil, so water sinks to the bottom of the jar. This leaves the oil to form a layer at the top of the jar. When Alka-Seltzer tablets are mixed in, a reaction is sparked “between sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and citric acid, and hydrogen oxide (water) that creates carbon dioxide gas. The bubbles filled with carbon dioxide gas push the water and paint mixture upward, but the oil exerts pressure downward and pushes the mixture back down – creating the snow effect” (https://www.mombrite.com/snowstorm-in-a-jar/).

Enjoy watching your winter snowstorm from the warmth and comfort of your kitchen counter!