Let it Snow!

It's the time of year when we think of....snow! I grew up in Buffalo, New York, so I have a lot of first-hand experience with snow. There are few natural things that children enjoy more than playing in snow, so why not add a little science to the mix?

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds.The shape of the snowflake is determined broadly by the temperature and humidity at which it is formed. Snow forms in a hexagonal (six-sided) form due to the way that water freezes.

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley was the first known photographer of snowflakes. He perfected a process of catching flakes on black velvet in such a way that their images could be captured before they melted. Common knowledge is that no two snowflakes are alike, but they can be very similar when conditions are the same.

You can study snow with children by observing it in and out of the classroom, using all the senses (Note: I do not recommend having children eat real snow). Examine it with a magnifier, feel it with your fingers, listen to it crunch, watch it melt, weigh it, measure it, roll it with a rolling pin, fill up a cup with it, make tracks in it.

Snow Resources:

• The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder, Mark Cassino. Chronicle Books, 2009.
• Snow Is Falling (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1), Franklyn M. Branley (Author), Holly Keller (Illustrator). Collins, 2000.
• I Am Snow (Hello Reader, Science), Jean Marzollo (Author), Judith Moffatt (Illustrator). Cartwheel, 2000.
• Search on 'snowflakes' in Google Images for hundreds of photographs.