Extreme cold weather offers excellent opportunity for edu-tainment [Video]

You’ll need:

• 1 cup warm water• 2 tbsp dish soap• 2 tbsp cornstarch or glycerine• 2 tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients well. Blow bubbles onto a stable outdoor surface using a straw or a drink bottle nozzle. Pick a calm day with temperatures below -10°C and watch the delicate ice patterns slowly form across the surface.

Another experiment that takes advantage of the extreme cold (-20°C or colder) also makes noodles defy gravity.

Lift some cooked noodles with chopsticks or a fork and balance them on a supportive surface, then wait for them to freeze solid in the cold air. The same experiment can be done with a wet t-shirt or jeans.

Ever heard of the Mpemba effect? It happens when hot water freezes faster than cold. To conduct the experiment you need outdoor air temperatures to be very cold – at least -25°C or preferably colder – …