Fun Facts for Kids About Snow and Snowflakes

It can be beautiful and yet disappointing at the same time. It brings smiles to schoolchildren, and raises the stress level of commuters. It creates picturesque scenes and wonderful memories. Snow is one of the most aesthetically pleasing aspects of nature.

Are you teaching a preschool lesson plan about snow? Are you looking for fun facts about snow? Are you a home school mom and just needing some interesting facts to share on a snow day? Here are some intriguing facts about snow.

Snow forms when water vapor becomes ice before becoming a liquid first.

Snow is basically tiny ice crystals. Each snowflakes has six sides. The temperature must be below freezing in the clouds for the snow to form. You must have a magnifying glass or microscope to see the crystals clearly.

Source: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-winter-storms.htm

A fifteen inch snowflake was recorded in 1887.

Snowflakes can range in size from just a fraction of an inch to much longer. There have been many instances where snowflakes were recorded that were two inches or more in diameter. In fact, in 1887, a fifteen inch snowflake was recorded in Ft. Keough, Montana. (It is possible that it may have just been a conglomeration of snowflakes.)

Source: http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf057/sf057g16.htm

The largest amount of snow recorded in one year was 1140 inches.

It was recorded in Mt. Baker ski area in Washington in 1998-1999. That is about 95 feet of snow in one year!

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/archives-weather-extremes.htm

Every year an average of 105 snowstorms occur in the continental united states.

That is a lot of snow! (And, of course, it contributes to lost work time, and car accidents.)

Source: http://nsidc.org/snow/facts.html

Some people have made houses out of snow called igloos.

An igloo is an architecturally unique shelter built out of snow. The entrance acts as a cold trap, and the sleeping area will hold heat generated by a stove, etc. Igloos have historically been inhabited by Eskimos.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igloo

Snow is actually clear in color.

While snow appears to be white, it is actually clear and transparent. The crystals become prisms, "breaking up the light into the entire spectrum of color." However, since our eye cannot process that, we see it as white, or sometimes blue.

Source: http://www.spfdbus.com/christmas/snow_facts.htm

These are just six fun snow facts. . These are great to use in a toddler or preschool lesson plan. For more facts to use in a general weather lesson plan, you might read "Fun Facts for Kids About Wind." Happy Learning!