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Overview:
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Connect Children and Science through Storytime! Axle Annie is a great book to spark a love of science. Axle Annie shows kids that a positive attitude and the willingness to be helpful will always get them through, no matter how great the challenge. Kids will love it when the snow machine from the story comes to life with the help of Insta-Snow.
- WHAT YOU GET: The kit comes with the book, ingredients to create and mold polymer snow, simple instructions, and an explanation of the science behind the activity. Kit includes: Axle Annie softcover book, Insta-Snow® powder (454 gm), 6 large clear plastic cups (9 oz. each), 6 small clear plastic cups (2-1/2 oz. each), 6 measuring scoops, 1 snowball mold set with hat, nose, and eyes, 1 full-color teaching and activity guide and 1 zip-top plastic storage bag.
- INSTA-SNOW: With just the addition of water, the insta-snow powder and water mixture turns into a solid and then erupts into a fluffy, white snow-like material within second, no mixing required. Watch in amazement as it instantly expands up to 100 times its original volume.
- 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.
- STEM: Explore the ever-changing science of polymers through experimenting with Insta-Snow. 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.
- USE AND REUSE: 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.
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