Doppler 9&10 STEM: Snow Board

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. In this week’s experiment, the Doppler 9&10 STEM is doing a duo experiment, making a snowboard at home!

This snowboard will allow you to properly measure snowfall at home and we’d love to see you and your kids make one and send in your pictures during snowfall events!

We also go through the procedure on how to accurately measure snowfall. So let’s get started with what you need!

You Will Need:

• White Acrylic Paint
• Paintbrush (any kind will do)
• Cup of water
• Cardboard Box or Plywood 1 foot by 1 foot
• Space outdoors
• Yardstick or Ruler
• Steak, Pole, or Driveway Marker (bright)
• Rocks

Procedure:

1. Grab 1 foot by 1-foot cardboard box or plywood
2. Bring the cardboard box or plywood outside to paint
3. Paint two coatings of white paint on the top of your box or wood
4. Let the paint dry, usually about 20-30 minutes
5. Do another coasting if necessary. Wait another 20-30 mins
6. Your snowboard is finished!
7. Place your snowboard 20 to 30 feet away from your house ideally on the ground. You could also place it on a table 20 to 30 feet away from the house as well.
8. 20 to 30 feet is important to get an accurate measurement
9. Place a few rocks on the box or wood so it doesn’t blow away!!
10. Place a marker next to the box or wood. A driveway marker works well due to its size and bright orange color. Generally want it to be a foot or so that way in most cases you’ll be able to find your snowboard once the snowfalls.

Measuring the Snow:

1. Go out to your snowboard
2. Take a ruler and measure in 5 or 6 different spots. Your NOT just measuring the highest area of snow on the snowboard.
3. Write down your measurements and average them out. Measurement 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5. And divide by the number of measurements. In this case, we did 5.
4. Once you have your 5 measurements averaged that’s your snow total.
5. Wipe off the snowboard once you’re done measuring snow. And wait for the next snow!
6. If you want to get fancy, keep track of how long your observation was. For example, we usually take measurements every 6 or 12 hours, 24 hours, and snow totals.
7. You can take an observation and NOT need to clear the snowboard if the snow is still falling and you’re waiting for you snowfall total!
8. Check out the snow to Liquid ratio as well!! We will show you how to accurately measure that next week on Doppler 9&10 STEM!

If your kiddos try this experiment, send

us photos of you and your experiment and you might get to see it during weather on The Four on Tuesdays and Thursdays!

Make sure you tune in every Tuesday for a New 9&10 STEM. Send us an email at  or find us on Facebook and at Doppler 9&10 Weather Team if you have a weather question or want something in science explained! It does not have to be weather-related! Anything Science or math-based we’ve got you! You can always get the latest forecast on 9and10news.com/weather as well as interact with us on social media!

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