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    Home » A frosty beard for Santa

    A frosty beard for Santa

    November 17, 2021 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

    Last year we made an icy snowman using ice, salt and water, this year it’s Santa’s turn. Draw a Santa face on the outside of a tin can, add ice, salt and water and watch as a frosty beard appears.

    You can use the same salt and water science to cool a drink quickly and make ice cream in a bag!

    Frost on a can decorated like Santa - a fun activity for learning about the supercooling power of salt

    You’ll need

    A clean, empty tin can

    Coloured pens to decorate

    Ice

    Salt

    Water

    A tin can decorated like a Santa face with frost on the outside made by filling the can with ice and salt. A great Christmas STEM challenge

    How to make a frosty santa

    Decorate the can to look like Santa. We used a mixture of sharpies and chalk pens.

    Fill the can with small pieces of ice.

    Add a little water

    Pour in about 3 tablespoons of salt

    Watch as the frost forms

    If it doesn’t work, keep adding ice and salt. The frost should form within 10 minutes and be solid to touch on the outside of the can.

    Frost on the outside of a can decorated like Santa for a science experiment

    Why does frost form on the outside of the can?

    The temperature of the icy water is about 0°C, but for frost to form the icy mixture needs to be much colder which is why we add salt.

    Salt lowers the freezing point of ice, which means at 0°C it starts to melt as its freezing point is lower than zero. To do this it draws heat from the surroundings ( the surface of the tin can ) causing water vapour in the air to condense and freeze on the outside of the can.

    Last Updated on November 17, 2021 by Emma Vanstone

    « Elf Science Investigations
    Christmas Print and Play Book »

    Safety Notice

    Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

    These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

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