Snowflakes

As a follow up to our study about snow, we read the story Snowflake Bentley and discussed the work of Wilson Bentley and his passion with snowflakes.  The students learned several fascinating facts, including the fact each snowflake is unique!
Mrs. Renfro invited us to "grow" some snowflakes with her class. We formed our snowflakes using chenille stems and took them over to her classroom.

The snowflakes were placed in a solution of boiling water and borax.

We let them "cook" (a student's term for it!) overnight.  The next day we went back in to see what had happened.  We found the solution had crystallized, much like the water molecules do in the clouds in order to create snow. 

We also were able to view the pictures Mr. Bentley took on http://snowflakebentley.com/WBsnowflakes.htm.