On my phone I keep a list titled “Questions from my Daughters.” Whenever they ask a question that is interesting to them and is one that I haven’t thought about for years, if ever, I add it to the list. This week’s addition to the list came from my four-year-old who asked, “what’s frost?” when I told her that what she saw on our lawn Wednesday morning was frost and not snow. 

While driving to preschool I did my best to try to explain to my daughter that frost condensation (water) that freezes on plants and objects. I’m not sure that she quite understood my explanation, but she said, “thanks, Dad” anyway. All that to say, the conversation prompted me to look up some better explanations of what frost is. 

Where Does Frost Come From? is a SciShow Kids videos through which students can learn how the right combination of cold temperatures and moisture can make frost appear on plants. Students can also learn why sometimes frost seems to just disappear while other times you can clearly see frost melting.

For an older audience, What is Frost? explained by MET Office – Weather provides a short overview of the conditions that create air, ground, grass, and hoar frost. (Note for my American audience: the video lists temperatures in Celsius).