by, Jo Carol Hebert

You look out the window. It is a Saturday, no-school morning. It is a very cold and wet day. You can not go out and play. 

Boring. 

But, what are those funny, white things falling down from the sky?

First, just a few are falling down. Now, many are falling down fast. The trees are white. Daddy’s blue car is white. The grass is white. The whole world is white! 

It is snowing! 

Mom bundles you up like a ‘mummy’. You run out and make a snowman with your friends!

What Makes a Snowflake?

A snowflake is not frozen rain. Frozen rain is sleet. To know about snow, you have to know about water.

Water is the only substance of earth that can turn into three different forms.

1. Water can be solid (ice).
2. Water can be liquid (glass of water).
3. Water can be a gas called ‘vapor’ (clouds).

Fun Fact: Snow is made when tiny droplets of water vapor in the clouds freeze before falling down like rain.

When the air is 32 degrees or lower, the vapor droplets freeze around a tiny piece of dirt in the air.

This makes an ice crystal. 

The ice crystals stick together. They branch out like tree limbs. They form snowflakes in patterns of different shapes and sizes. It takes about 200 crystals to make one snowflake.

When they get heavy, they fall from the cloud. They fall through the air down to the ground so you and your friends can make a snowman!

Did You Know?

• It takes about 5 million (5,000,000) snowflakes to make a small snowman   
• A snowflake has 6 sides
• A shape with 6 sides is called a hexagon

Snow “Kids”

The Inuits (Eskimos) live in the Arctic regions of the North Pole. Like you, they live in warm homes and watch television. But they still build ice igloos for shelter when hunting. 

The Inuits have many different words for snow. Check them out!

• wiliwip – “snowballs that are made for fun!”
• kiliwip – “snowballs made for a weapon for protection”
• kripiqup – “a form of snow in the shape of an animal”
• nap’pap – “snow seen in a dream”
• cak’blok – “snow frozen around ‘caribou’ (reindeer) poop”
• Ba’qamutik – “the best snow for dog sled races!” 
• blab’ gob – “snow shoved in the mouth of a person who talks too much!”
• blip’aput – “snow that is less than one foot deep”
• ganik – “snow in the air”
• aput – “snow on the ground”

 Wouldn’t it be fun to have an Inuit friend?

Every Snowflake is Different and So Are You!

There are no two snowflakes that are exactly the same. And there is no one else like YOU! You are one of a kind.

You have special talents to do special jobs. Here is a list of the most popular jobs that kids want to do when they grow up.

• Astronaut              
• Athlete Actor                  
• Dancer Detective               
• Firefighter
• Lawyer Musician
• Airplane Pilot
• Police Officer
• Scientist
• Teacher
• Writer
• Veterinarian
• Doctor

Whoever you are, whatever you do – most of all – just be the BEST YOU!

Educators! Check out our Curriculum Corner for fun, FREE activities for the classroom or at home!