If you haven’t tried this yet or perhaps it is something you have been thinking about trying but worry that it is just too messy, let me encourage you to go for it. It is one of those beautiful, not-so-messy messes you just can’t pass up.
Of course, you will need some snow to try this. If you don’t have snow then you can use shave cream or even just plain cups of water. The process is similar and the children love exploring with these tools so keep on reading.
Let’s get you set up!
To get started, you will need…
- A tray or tub. You want something with an edge to keep the water from dripping down to the floor.Â
- PipettesÂ
- Liquid Watercolor
- Plastic cups
See my Amazon links below if you don’t have one of these things. I use each of these supplies often. They are a staple item in my classroom that I just can’t live without.Â
Now you are ready to get started!
Set out your tray or container then invite your child to head outside to gather up a bucket of snow. Dump the snow in the middle of the tray and let the fun begin.Â
You will want to set out a few cups of colored water (add a good squeeze of liquid watercolor to each cup). Place the cups on the tray where they won’t get knocked over easily.
Then comes the pipettes. If your child has never used pipettes before then you may need to take a minute to show your child how to squeeze the pipette, dip it into the water, then let go. Then show your child how to wait until the pipette is out of the cup to squeeze the colored water onto the snow.Â
Build a New Skill
It may take a few tries for your child to get the hang of using a pipette but it is great opportunity for your child to build a new skill and promote some fine motor strengthening and control along the way.
Take a Step Back
You might be tempted to show your child how he or she can mix colors or give some other type of instructions but let me encourage you to take a step back and let your child discover these things on his or her own. Some of my students are totally interested in the color mixing aspect. Others just like playing with the pipette. And others are just fascinated with how the snow changes colors. This is their time to discover and explore and your chance to see what interests your child the most.Â
The Two Handed Approach
Inevitably my students will change from using one pipette to trying this process with a pipette in each hand. The longer they stay and explore, the more they will want to see what will happen if…
This is totally a normal part of their exploration and I recommend giving them space to do it. However, I do set some boundaries when the exploration starts to just be about getting the whole room all wet. That probably means it is time to call it a day but wait and see what happens before you call it a day too soon. I know that this looks super messy, but in the end, it is just water. After the snow starts to melt and the color is all gone, we simply scoop it back outside to finish melting and wipe down the table with an old towel.
Available on Amazon
I sure hope you will give this a try! Feel free to use my Amazon affiliate links below to get everything you need to start making your own beautiful, not-so-messy, messes!
