Light Table Snowflakes

“Of all the forms of water, the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied.” — Wilson Bentley (1865-1931)

Make learning about science “cool” by inviting your students to make their very own shimmering snowflakes at the light table. This is a fantastic way to introduce a winter lesson theme and is full of great science vocabulary words too. All the fun of the snow, with no mittens required!

Snowflake Bentley

Our inspiration comes from the beautiful nonfiction picture book, Snowflake Bentley, written by Jaqueline Briggs Martin.  This Caldecott Award-winning book explores the life of Wilson Bentley in a way that preschoolers can identify with. In the book, Wilson Bentley falls in love with the snow, and takes a close look at the snowflakes.  He discovers that each snowflake is unique, and then makes it his life’s work to photograph the beauty of them. Many of the photographs he took are still used today!

The book uses a simply told, engaging story mixed with a sidebar of facts and more technical knowledge (handy for when your students ask you questions about the reading!).

Put the learning into practice, so after reading the book, invite the students to build their own snowflake designs on the light table!

Snow Flake Design Supplies

It doesn’t take much to make this center.  You can obtain clear table scatter in a variety of shapes and colors at your local hobby, craft, or dollar store.  We stuck with cool translucent colors.  A tray to contain the small parts, and a snowflake book or close up pictures of snowflakes is all it takes to complete the center. Don’t forget to snag our free printable sign for your center

Need More Winter Ideas?

Be sure to check out our other winter and light table lesson ideas by clicking the images!