So, you've built the snowman, lobbed a few snowballs, and survived an excursion on that deathtrap toboggan that you found in the garage. And you're dreading another dose of the white stuff today, because you've still got the kids to entertain. Fear not: here are some experiments that will keep them busy, and educate them to boot. The easiest possible experiment is to collect some snow, bring it in inside and take its temperature before and after melting. However, as the following activities reveal, you can be much more ambitious than that. Get your kids to take it seriously - give them a notebook and pen to record their findings, and discuss the results with them. You'll be surprised at how quickly they discover their inner scientist!

It may look pristine, but how clean is snow? Collect a tub of snow. Bring it inside and let it melt (or heat it gently in a saucepan and let it cool). Cover a bowl or jar with a layer of paper towels or porous white cloth, held in place with a rubber band. Pour the cooled water slowly through the paper towel layers or white cloth. Examine the paper or cloth for any specks of dirt or sediment. Would it have been clean enough to eat?

Make snow ice cream. If you do find some clean snow, you might like to make snow ice cream. You'll need a bowl, a spoon, sugar, vanilla extract and milk or cream. Scoop some freshly fallen snow into a big, chilled bowl. Nestle the bowl in the snow to keep it cold while you turn it into snow ice cream. Add just a little sugar, then a few drops of vanilla extract, and some very cold milk or cream. Stir together and eat. You could try adding some cinnamon or cocoa powder.

Make coloured snow lights. Fill three containers with water. Add food colouring to the water containers to make blue, green, and red water. Now make up a batch of snowballs, and dip each in coloured water. Shape the coloured snowballs like igloos, with one side left open. Place a small tealight or candle in the centre of each snowball mound and watch them glow in the garden.

Create your own icicle (do just before bedtime). Using a sharp pencil, poke three or four holes around the lip of a plastic cup. Thread a piece of string through each hole, then tie the ends of the strings together to make a hanger for the cup. With great care, use a needle to pierce a very small hole in the bottom of the cup. Fill the cup with water. The water should drip extremely slowly out of the hole in the bottom. Hang the cup outside on a branch or nail. You should be rewarded with a beautiful icicle in the morning, on the ground beneath the cup.

When water freezes, does it shrink or expand? Take an empty milk or juice paper carton with a screw cap and fill right to the top with water. Put the cap on firmly. Leave outside overnight, so that the water freezes. What happens to the carton and why?

Catching snowflakes. Put a piece of black paper outside to cool down but not where it will get snowed on. Catch some snowflakes and look at them under a magnifying glass. In what ways are they similar to, or different from, each other?

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