StoryTime Science™

Axle Annie Kit

Comes with the Original Insta-Snow Powder^®
Use the activity to discuss snow making machines and how artificial snow is used in recreation parks and on movie sets in place of real snow

Out of stock

SKU: 800187

Frequently Purchased Together

Product Description

Students will love it when you make the snow machine from the story come to life with the help of Insta-Snow. The kit comes with the book, ingredients to create and mold polymer snow, simple instructions, and an explanation of the science behind the activity.

How Does It Work?

The mixologists at Steve Spangler Science coined the name Insta-Snow. It’s the original instant snow. This fake snow is in a classification of chemicals called polymers. The word polymer simply means a long chain of repeating, identical molecules (poly– means many and mer– is a unit or molecule). Insta-Snow soaks up water using osmosis where water molecules pass through a barrier from one side of the polymer to the other. When a water molecule comes in contact with the polymer, it moves from outside the polymer to the inside, latches on, and causes the polymer to swell. This swelling opens the polymer to even more water and it swells to hold it all. The polymer chains have an elastic quality, but they can stretch only so far and hold just so much water.

Insta-Snow is reusable! If it’s clean, spread out the snow on a piece of wax paper or a cookie sheet and allow it to dry. Depending on the level of humidity in your area, this can take days or weeks. The snow dehydrates to a powder and is ready for you to use again.