Wanting to make your own snowglobe? Homemade snow globes are tons of fun, but if you don’t do them correctly, you’ll end up with a cloudy, drippy mess. Follow along with our DIY Fortnite snow globe tutorial and create a fun activity for any Fortnite lover!
We did this activity as part of our Christmas STEM activities for 2nd grade.
What Do Kids Learn when Making a Homemade Snowglobe?
With a little bit of planning, you can transform this snowglobe craft into a STEAM activity. How? By simply examining the science behind a snow globe and discussing it as you make the Fortnite snow globe!
Snow Globe Science for Kids
A homemade snow globe is a lesson in viscosity, light refraction, and gravity. You may also be able to sneak in a lesson about vortexes, as well!
The general design of a snow globe is that “snow” is added inside a jar and shaken. Then, the snow descends and you can repeat the process.
But, the science comes into play when you add glycerin to the water. Glycerin makes the liquid more viscous, which prevents the glitter from falling as fast. Experiment with different levels of glycerin to find the perfect time for glitter fall!
The globe also distorts the image of the character inside the globe. That’s why changing the character’s position can change how it looks inside the snow globe.
Finally, kids can make a vortex inside their jars by swirling it around and watching the mini “tornado” form.
STEAM Elements in the DIY Snow Globe Project
To transform a snowglobe craft into a STEAM activity, you need to add some of these discussion topics to your activity time. Here are some things you can discuss for each area of STEAM.
Science: Weather, vortexes, light refraction, solutions, viscosity
Technology: Glycerine, toy production
Engineering: Globe assembly, design planning, removing air from the jar
Art: Globe design
Math: Measuring, ratios, solutions
How to Make Your Own Snowglobe
Follow along with these directions to make your own Fortnite snowglobe! Be sure to discuss the science and other STEM topics to make this a real STEAM activity!
And when you’re done with this project, share your photos and videos on social media using #steamsational so we can see your project, too!
What you need for your homemade snow globe:
- Distilled water (water without minerals tends to be cloudy. Tap water works fine but distilled will look nicer)
- Glycerin (this helps the glitter to fall more slowly)- order on Amazon
- Glitter, sequins, stars, etc. White and silver tend to look best. Waterproof characters about 1-2 inches in height (we used these)
- Snow Globe (on Amazon here)
- Glue (E6000 for best results)
- (Optional) bottle caps
Make Your Own Fortnite Snow Globe
Start by gluing your characters onto the snow globe stopper. Use E6000 glue to extend the life of your snow globe.
The snow globe curves and it can warp the way the characters look. If you place your characters on the back of the snow globe, then they will look better inside the globe.
Next, start preparing your snow globe. Fill with distilled water until it’s about half full.
Add your glitter, sequins, stars, and any other small pieces you would like in your snow globe.
Pour in about a teaspoon of glycerin and stir. You can add more glycerin to help the glitter fall more slowly.
Fill your snow globe with water until it’s near the brim.
Hold your snow globe over the sink while you add the character on the stopper. Some water will flow over.
Glue the lid on. Let the glue dry completely before allowing kids to play with it.
Now shake your snow globe and enjoy!
Tips for Your Snow Globe Experiment
The more glycerin you use, the slower the “snow” will fall. So be generous.
The snow globes are best when very little air is trapped inside.
Sometimes the glitter would stick to the characters. However, getting the characters wet before adding them to the snow globe helped so the glitter didn’t stick.
More Snow Globe Activities for Kids
Snow Globe Science Project: Pokemon Edition
How to Make a Christmas Snow Globe Science Experiment