Preschool Sensory Activity – Insta Snow
Shake things up a bit by providing preschoolers with a sensory experience that goes beyond the traditional materials like play dough and sand. Celebrate winter by letting preschoolers play with Insta-Snow. This powder will mesmerize preschoolers as they watch it turn to snow right before your eyes just by adding a little bit of water.
Bring Winter Inside
Preschoolers can create their own snow day without ever leaving the preschool classroom. Using only 1 teaspoon of Insta-Snow powder and a little bit of water will give preschoolers an instant explosion of fluffy snow. Preschoolers will have just as much fun watching the reaction as they will playing with the resulting snow. The Insta-Snow powder instantly absorbs all the water and expands to many times its original size in seconds. Preschoolers can enjoy a unique sensory experience by squishing their fingers through the Insta-Snow. It even feels cool when you touch it, similar to real snow.
Safe For Preschoolers
Insta-Snow is made from sodium polyacrylate and is non-toxic. The material is similar to the absorbent material found in diapers. Preschoolers should still be discouraged from putting the material in their mouths but parents and preschool teachers can feel confident that the material will do them no harm if it is accidentally ingested. Insta-Snow has the added benefit of being environmentally safe.
Easy Clean Up
Insta-Snow cleans up easily with a vacuum or a wet rag. Use a cookie sheet with an edge as a play surface for preschoolers to experiment with the snow. This will keep most of the mess in one place and simplify clean up. When preschoolers are done playing you can either save the Insta-Snow for another day or rinse it away with water. Insta-Snow will return to it’s powdered state if left to dry for an extended period of time but this could take up to a month. Just like any other moist material, if you store Insta-Snow in a sealed container after you have added water to it, the wet snow will begin to mildew over time.
Variations
Colored Snow – Mix a few drops of food coloring in with your water before adding it to the Insta-Snow powder. When the snow erupts it will take on whatever color you added to the water.
Fake Snow Man – Make Insta-Snow by mixing the powder and the water and then set the snow in the freezer for a few hours. Getting the Insta-Snow cold will help it to react more like real snow. You can form balls with the snow and stack them on top of each other to create a miniature snow man.
