Science to keep you busy over the break

It's been a pretty non-snowy winter so far, and we know some of you are missing it.  To keep busy until school starts back up again, here are a couple of snow-related STEM activities (that don't require real snow) to give you that winter wonderland feeling.

Foaming fake snow
Materials:
Two large plastic or glass containers
Measuring cup
Baking soda
Teaspoon
Tablespoon
Sticky note
Pen or pencil
Dish soap
Vinegar

Process:
1. Write "soap" on a sticky note and stick it on one of the containers.
2. Scoop one cup of baking soda in the container without the sticky note.  Add three tablespoons of water and mix to make a dough.  (It should feel like modeling clay.)  Add water in small amounts if needed to get to the right consistency.
3. Play with your fake snow!  Make a snowman, polar bear, anything you want!  Keep your creation in the container.
4. In the container labeled "soap", add one cup of baking soda,  a teaspoon of dish soap, and three tablespoons of water.  Mix the ingredients to make a dough.  Again, you can add water in small amounts until the dough molds well.
5. Make another critter.  Try and keep it a similar height and size as the first one.  Keep it in the container.
6. Take one cup of vinegar and pour it over your first creation.
7. Take another cup of vinegar and pour it over your second creation.  How did they react differently?
8. Find out what happens if you pour water over what remains instead of vinegar.

What's going on here?
When vinegar touches baking soda, the two chemicals react with each other.  You end up getting gas bubbling up in a watery solution.  Dish soap allows soapy solutions to spread out, so instead of a watery solution, you get gas and foam.


Why are skis so long?
Materials:
Deep plate, glass baking tray, or baking pan
Flour
Action figure or doll that can stand upright (preferably a heavier one)
Cardboard
Scissors
School glue

Process:
1. Cut two identical rectangles out of cardboard.  The length should be a little shorter than the height of your action figure.  The width should be about double the width of the feet of the action figure.
2. Pour a layer of flour about 3/4 inch deep on the plate.  Use a piece of cardboard to smooth out the surface.
3. Imagine that the flour is snow.  Place your action figure on the flour.  Pick it back up and observe what kind of marks are left in the flour.
4. Put the action figure back on the flour, but this time, press it down.  Was it easy to make it sink?
5. Pick up your action figure and let it stand on the flour.  To to knock it over in various directions.
6. Glue the skis on to the feet of your action figure.  The feet should be about halfway along the length of the skis.  Let the glue dry.
7. Smooth the flour out again.
8. Stand the action figure up on the flour with the skis on and try and knock it over again. 

What's going on here?
Skis create a large contact area between the skier and the snow.  The weight of the skier is spread out over a larger area.  The skier presses less on each square inch of snow, so instead of sinking into it, they can glide over it.  The skis also make it harder to push the action figure over.  It's easier to keep balance when you have a bigger contact area.  It's much harder to fall backward or forward, but, since the skis barely extend past your feet on the sides, skiers still fall easily from side to side