Snowflakes and Symmetry
There is something fascinating about snowflakes. I still don’t really believe that each one is different from all others. Really? All of the billions and billions of snowflakes out there and no two are the same?
Even the youngest children can make snowflakes out of white paper and a pair of scissors. It is a great way for them to work on their fine motor skills and they can be fairly successful at making approximations of snowflakes.
Take thin white paper and fold it in half. Fold it in half again. Then let the children have at it. You can show them how to make small cuts in the paper or larger cut-outs. When the paper unfolds, the paper looks like a snowflake.
When the children unfold their snowflakes, you can help them identify the different shapes they have cut out. You can also show them that there may be “symmetry” in their snowflakes. Each side is a mirror image of the other. This is a great “math” word that you can introduce when making your snowflakes.
