Curiosity & questions · 2026-10-30

Are Snowflakes Really Made of Sugar?

When a child hears a questionable claim, testing it together builds the gentle habit of friendly scepticism and early scientific thinking.

On a winter day in Switzerland's Engadine valley, a few families were walking along a snowy path. Suddenly, a five-year-old stopped, tilted his head back, and stuck out his tongue to catch the falling snow. The day before, a friend at his forest kindergarten had told him a secret: "The snow falling from the sky is actually made of icing sugar."

He caught a flake, smacked his lips, and turned to the adults. "It's not sweet. It's just cold water."

In that brief moment, the child had conducted a true scientific experiment. Rather than blindly accepting his friend's claim, he used his own senses to test the "theory". As children grow, they hear countless pieces of information every day from peers, cartoons, and adults. Instead of teaching them to absorb everything without question, we can encourage them to bring a friendly curiosity to the world and ask, "Is that really true?"

The Instinct of Little Scientists

Research by developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik shows that young children are natural, intuitive scientists. They do not merely consume information passively; their brains are constantly formulating hypotheses and testing them against the world. When a child hears a claim and decides to verify it for themselves, they are practising the very foundations of critical thinking.

Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves.
— Jean Piaget

Sometimes, the claims children hear are slightly absurd ("If you swallow an apple seed, a tree will grow in your tummy") or wonderfully magical. As adults, our immediate instinct is often to correct them and provide the factual answer. However, rushing to hand over the truth can accidentally short-circuit the joy of doubting and discovering.

Turning 'I Heard' into 'Let's Find Out'

When children come to us with hearsay, we can try to slow the conversation down. Instead of instantly saying, "That's not right, snow is frozen water vapour," we might respond, "Wow, that sounds interesting. Do you think it tastes like sugar? How could we find out?"

This simple shift turns a right-or-wrong correction into a collaborative adventure. When a child notices that an illustration in a book doesn't match what they see outside, or that a bug their friend described doesn't actually have ten legs, we can follow their lead. We can count the legs together or look it up. This is similar to the approach Sparkie gently encourages: rather than just delivering an encyclopaedic fact, it helps children ask one more "why" to begin their own investigation.

The Power of Gentle Scepticism

Teaching children to check information does not mean teaching them to be contrarian or argumentative. "Friendly scepticism" is an attitude rooted in curiosity, not conflict. It shows children that it is perfectly acceptable and natural to say, "I'm not sure, let's check." This habit not only protects them from absorbing inaccuracies but also builds a quiet confidence in their own ability to reason and observe.

Things to try this week

Play the "Is it true?" game: In a lighthearted moment, make an obviously silly claim (for example, "I think this cat has six legs"). Encourage your child to gently correct you and show you the "proof". This helps them feel comfortable checking facts.
Welcome their doubts: When your child questions something you have said, try not to see it as defiance. You might say, "That's a great question. Maybe I was wrong—let's look at it together."
Use books as a starting point: While reading a story, pause occasionally to ask, "Do you think what the bear said is true? If this happened in real life, what do you think would happen?" This helps them build a bridge of reasoning between fiction and reality.