Let's explore friction in our physic laboratory on ice. 

YOU WILL NEED: marbles and ice

HOW TO DO IT: 

A bit of ice physics. Pack a few marbles in your pocket when you go exploring on ice. The children can test for differences between playing marbles on clay, sand, snow and ice. It is a good introduction to the subject of friction and its effects.

Seeing frost crystals grow is a great experience and you can grow this fragile beauty yourself!

YOU WILL NEED: bubble blower and the right weather conditions

HOW TO DO IT: 

Is the temperature at least -5°C? And without a lot of wind? Then you have a great opportunity to try making freezing bubbles and see crystallisation happen before your very eyes. You only need to take out your regular bubble blower and your favourite bubble mix or try our mixture. 

Our favourite bubble solution recipe:

200 ml warm water;                                                                       35 ml corn syrup;                                                                           35 ml dish detergent;                                                                      2 tablespoons of sugar.

Mix and put the mixture in the freezer for a while. Then you dress warmly and go outside to blow bubbles.

Make a short scene or a sketch using ice props. 

YOU WILL NEED: good gloves

HOW TO DO IT: 

Each group prepares a short act for the class, using a backdrop or prop made of ice. The rest of the class guesses what the ice object is.

Casse-tête en glace / Eisrätsel

The activity described can also be done in a foreign language.

Even a disaster can be turned into a game 🙂  

YOU WILL NEED: good gloves

HOW TO DO IT: 

It doesn’t have to be a catastrophe when a large piece of ice for an activity is broken accidentally. You can declare “Ice Puzzle!” and try to reassemble what pieces you can of the ice block into their original shape.

Monitor ice thickness on different days and in different places.  

YOU WILL NEED: just the right weather and some containers for water (optionally)

HOW TO DO IT: 

Monitoring ice thickness on different days and in different places opens up many questions and opportunities. It is also great for comparing the level of liquid water and frozen water. How does the water level vary? Why? (We recommend testing in an unsealed jar).

How different materials react to being frozen?

YOU WILL NEED: different types of materials (plastic, wood, chalk, solid, metal, etc.), plastic containers

HOW TO DO IT: 

When the temperature is well below the freezing point, prepare different types of materials (plastic, wood, chalk, solid, metal, etc.) in plastic containers. Cover the samples with a layer of water and let them freeze overnight outside (in an area free from disturbance like a windowsill).

The next day observe what happened. How did each material react to being frozen? It is even more interesting to watch the subsequent stage – melting. Children can estimate how long it takes for water to change from a solid to a liquid. They can place various samples in different places (on the heater, on the table, on the ground, wrapped in a scarf, etc.) and note what happens. Apart from the differences in how fast the ice melts, it is good to discuss what happens to frozen objects (chalk usually dissolves for example).

You can find many other experiments with ice on the Internet. We recommend including them in the lesson when it's freezing outside, and thus make use of the large natural outdoor freezer.

Take out favourite characters and have kids practise storytelling.

YOU WILL NEED: favourite lego characters

HOW TO DO IT: 

It is easy enough for children to invent and tell stories outdoors but if you also include some of their favourite characters then the stories will be created all the more quickly. We usually use lego characters. The children divide into groups, choose a spot in the designated area for a location for their story and prepare to perform a short story. Then the groups take turns telling each other their story (one or two of the group narrate while the others are the actors). You can repeat this activity outside often in the different seasons, even in winter. The stories are usually short but very funny.

Make winter colorful with these decorations.

YOU WILL NEED: natural materials, containers, strings

HOW TO DO IT: 

You can consider making small mirrors when it's cold enough outside. First thing to do is to collect some natural materials that you find outdoors or you have on hand dried and saved from before winter set in. Arrange everything in suitable containers and cover with water. You can insert a string or wire loop for hanging. Let your mirrors freeze outside overnight on the windowsill or anywhere they won't be disturbed.

The next day, carefully remove your "glass" from the containers and, preferably against the light, admire the beauty of your ice mirrors. You can hang the mirrors on trees as decorations or use them as windows in your snow house or ice structures.

Reveal the mystery of icicles and learn more about how stalactites are formed.

YOU WILL NEED: a place with icicles

HOW TO DO IT: 

The first task is to find icicles around the school (we recommend this activity when you know that there are icicles to be found nearby). The next task for the students is to deduce how icicles are formed. Why do they show up only in specific places?

Then ask the children to think of where in nature they can find a similar shape and phenomenon. What are they called (stalactites) and how are they formed (they are created by minerals dissolved in water and deposited during evaporation)? Can the children determine whether the icicle hanging off the eaves resembles a stalagmite, stalactite, or stalagnate?

A fruit snack as a lolipop? Children will love it!

YOU WILL NEED: fruits, clean twigs or skewers

HOW TO DO IT: 

We recommend trying a frozen snack when it is freezing outside, especially during the day. Impale chopped fruit on clean twigs or skewers. Place everything outside to freeze slightly and then it's time for a snack.

Leave your screens at home and go out to make your own frozen stories. 

YOU WILL NEED: waterproof containers, any available natural materials, small toys (those that can get wet and frozen; made from wood, plastic, metal or fabric)

HOW TO DO IT: 

Today children and adults both find themselves indoors staring at screens all day. We recommend trying screen-free days with your children and if it's freezing it's a great opportunity to get out and try telling stories with frozen screens. Prepare some waterproof containers, any available natural materials and some favourite toys (those that can get wet and frozen; made from wood, plastic, metal or fabric).

Have each child grab a container and try to create their own story using natural materials and their favourite figurines or characters. Finally, water is poured into the container to create a min. 1–2 cm thick layer (it can be deeper, it depends on how cold it is). You can insert a string that peeks out as a loop. Let everything freeze overnight outside the window in your own personal natural freezer. The next day, check that everything is frozen. Carefully remove the screens from the containers, look at them from both sides and tell one another the stories that have been captured in ice.

Frozen screens/ Gefrorene Bildschirme/ Écrans gelés

The activity can also be tried out for teaching foreign languages, just by not using your native language when giving instructions and storytelling.

Make winter evenings a magical experience. 

YOU WILL NEED: two containers with one fitting into the other, optionally natural materials

HOW TO DO IT:

Make an ice lamp or two with the children if you have the opportunity. You will need two containers with one fitting into the other. A pair of smaller containers make lamps for one candle while larger containers will make large ice lamps with two or more candles.

Fill the larger container halfway with water then place the smaller container into it and weigh it down (with water or stones) so that it sinks almost to the bottom of the larger container. You can also arrange some leaves, twigs, dry grass or ferns in the water to decorate your lamps.

Set everything outside to freeze. When frozen, remove the smaller container and carefully slide the ice lamp itself out of the larger container (dip it in water if it doesn't come out easily).

It is best to light candles in the lamps after dark to really enjoy the beautiful light. The advantage to ice lamps is that the threat of fire is minimal on snow or the frozen ground.

Is snow as clean as it seems? Make an experiment with samples from different places. 

YOU WILL NEED: jars or glasses, rubber bands or string and scissors, paper filters or tissues

HOW TO DO IT:

Pass the melted snow through filter paper or tissue and observe how much dirt there is in snow. We recommend that you fold the edges of the tissue or filter paper upwards to prevent water from dripping.

We recommend that children should take samples from different locations around your school (by the road, in the garden, by the sidewalk, on a tree, etc.) and then compare the cleanliness of the snow.

Is snow heavier than water or vice versa?

YOU WILL NEED: two mason jars, string, scissors, a straight twig (or a clothes hanger)

HOW TO DO IT:

What is heavier – a glass full of water or a glass full of snow? And by how much? Is the difference tiny or big? How can you find out outdoors without a scale? Just pack two mason jars, string, scissors and a straight twig (or a clothes hanger). Make a simple scale from a twig and a string, hang two empty jars on it so that they are in balance, and only then add water to one and snow to the other. We recommend closing the jars after. What will happen?

A real igloo remains as a beautiful childhood memory for a lifetime. Do it for your children too. It's a joint effort and a powerful experience when you get it done. 

YOU WILL NEED: enough snow, time and enthusiasm for building

HOW TO DO IT: 

It may not seem like it at first glance but real-world construction tasks are great for developing maths skills. If you have enough snow, time and enthusiasm, we recommend that you and your children build something bigger.

There are several ways to build an igloo (you can dig it out of a pile of frozen snow, gradually build perimeter walls from large balls or assemble it from manufactured snow bricks).

Furnish your igloo with rugs and small "furniture" and the play will stop only when the snow melts 🙂

Light up the igloo at night time, it looks beautiful.

A quick and playful creative activity. 

YOU WILL NEED: snow, sticks, (clay)

HOW TO DO IT:

Sticky snow is great for modelling. You can create a 2D owl on a tree trunk or, for an even bigger challenge, a 3D owl sitting on a branch. If you don't want a snowy owl, you can try colouring the top layer of snow with, for example, clay. It's a quick, playful creation that only needs a little dusting of snow. So get outside. What will come to life in your area?

Make nice winter decorations around your house or school. 

YOU WILL NEED: sticky snow, twigs, natural materials for creating

HOW TO DO IT:

Sticky snow is great for sticking to tree trunks. Children can make faces for the trees, decoration or use the tree trunk as a canvas for pictures of animals or other land art.

Make the school day special and use the outdoor whiteboard for maths or languages. You'll see the difference!

YOU WILL NEED: a thin layer of snow

HOW TO DO IT:

A thin layer of snow on the sidewalk or ice is great for writing and painting. Test the new board right next to the school and paint geometric shapes or write messages for winter.

Will you get lost or will you find your way in a maze? Either way, you'll have a great time!

YOU WILL NEED: nothing 🙂

HOW TO DO IT:

Creating labyrinths supports both mathematical and spatial imagination. Divide the children into groups and have them create a simple (spiral) or more complex intertwined labyrinth in the snow complete with a start and a finish. This will result in several mazes that the groups can then take turns going through. Children often invent their own improvements to the game such as hidden snow treasures at the end of the labyrinth.

A physics experiment with a sweet reward. 

YOU WILL NEED: a large bowl, a smaller bowl (ideally metal or any thin-walled bowl), salt, ingredients for ice cream

HOW TO DO IT:

It is something between "cooking" and a physics experiment. Definitely worth a try. Just mix  snow with salt and thanks to the resulting cold, you can make delicious ice cream with the children.

Put some snow in a large bowl and mix it with six spoons of salt. Snow and salt will almost miraculously create a deep frost (supposedly down to -17°C) which will easily cool a smaller bowl (ideally a metal or any thin-walled one).

You can pour cream or regular or plant-based milk (almond, poppy or oat) into the smaller bowl. The children can also flavour the milk (with coconut sugar, marmalade or something else). Then just stir and stir (for approx. 15 min.). Be careful not to let the snow and salt fall into the smaller bowl with the ice cream; it's not very tasty.

If it's very cold outside, and the children are too impatient, you can take it home to get warm. As the snow melts with the salt, it still creates enough cold. If the children don't eat all the ice cream while stirring they can serve it at the end and flavour it (with coconut, date syrup, honey, carob, chopped almonds, etc.).