Fake Snow Exploration

Goal: Make most realistic snow by exploring different amounts and ingredients

1. Materials: Baking soda box/bag with small beaker scoop and medium sized beakers should be ready on one side of room, shaving cream can should be up at the front of the room, Sodium Polyacrylate should be with teacher with teaspoon and 50 ml beakers should be on side counter.  Get into groups no bigger than four in AP Chem and no bigger than 5 in regular Chemistry.

2. Start with baking soda and shaving cream mixture by getting about a ¼-⅓ cup baking soda and adding amounts of shaving cream. Make sure to write down exact amounts you use. Mix with your hands on the table. Add or change your amounts to make the most snow like mixture.

3. Then in a new combination of ingredients (separate from the baking soda and shaving cream), get a teaspoon of the Polysnow in a 50 ml beaker from teacher. Add water until you think you have the consistency of snow (can mix on table as well away from first mixture. Write down how much you added of each substance.

4. Move around the room checking out other groups “snow” to explore which seems like the most realistic snow. Each group should have two different “snows”, one made from baking soda and shaving cream and one from Sodium Polyacrylate. Teacher votes on best snow for each class and everyone writes down their own measurements as well as the measurements of the winning group to compare amounts.

5. Play with snow that was made, building miniature snow scenes.

6. Clean up! Make sure all table tops and sinks are clean and beakers are cleaned and returned to counters before the end of the period.