Here in the Northeast, we had to dig our way through the recent storm, the most snow we’ve had in my neck of the woods for two years! I once hosted an exchange teacher from Australia in January (their summer break), who had never seen snow. Snowplows, snowblowers, snowshoes, and skimobiles were all new to her! She said it was very beautiful, “but we never realized that afterwards, one must shift it about.”
Even if you live in a part of the country that does not usually have to shift it about, snow can still be an interesting topic in a meteorology unit. In SciLinks, use the key word “Snowflakes” for grades 9-12. (It’s ok if you don’t teach at those levels–the sites have lots of photographs and ideas for many grade levels.) I really like the All About Snow site from the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
If the forecast includes the dreaded “wintry mix,” the precipitation section of the WW2010 site has diagrams that differentiate between rain, freezing rain, sleet, hail, and snow.
I saw a school the other day where the windows were decorated with “snowflakes” of eight sides. (I guess octagons are easier to cut out of paper?) For more realistic pictures, check out the photo galleries at Snow Crystals, created by a physics professor at CalTech. The photo at the top is from his site.
And if you have a copy of the book Snowflake Bentley in your classroom or library, check out the related resources on this photographer at the Buffalo Museum of Science.
My snowshoes and binoculars are ready for some winter birding over the holiday break. Best wishes to all!