science learning about snow

For science this week, we read online about snow. Here are 5 things we learned:

1. Vocabulary: PRECIPITATION - any water falling down from the sky including rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

2. Snowflakes are made of snow crystals and there are 200 of them in one snowflake.

3. Snow blinds us with its gleaming white color because it reflects white light.

4. There are at least 35 different types of ice crystal to make snowflakes. I like the radiating dendrite the best.

5. The shape of a snowflake depends on the temperature and humidity in the atmosphere when it forms.

Sources:
The Water Cycle by Project Dragonfly
Weather Wiz Kids, Winter Storms section. Sunny played the games "Snowflake Catcher" and "Wild Weather Adventure."
Snowflakes and Snow Crystals from California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This has lots of pictures of the different shapes of ice crystals that form snowflakes, and recommendations of books to read about them.