Snowflake Bentley
Six-sided frozen crystals fascinated Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley. See how he studied and photographed these delicate structures.
1. Read Snowflake Bentley to learn about photographer and self-made scientist Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley. He discovered the uniqueness of each snowflake while taking photographs of them through a microscope, a technique now known as microphotography.
2. Use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils and your imagination to draw a picture of Snowflake Bentley taking photos of snowflakes falling, perhaps outside of a barn. Use your eraser to highlight the wood grain, draped cloth, or the accordion-like folds of the camera.
3. Use Crayola Fine Tip Markers or Gel Markers to draw snowflakes falling. Enlarge one to show detail.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project.
Small Parts—
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
- Cut out paper snowflakes, each with a different pattern.
- Create a classroom precipitation poster showing what conditions in the atmosphere produce rain, snow, sleet, hail, and other forms of precipitation.
- For younger children and those with special needs, show photographs of the type of camera Bentley used, or visit a museum to see antique cameras. Explore how microscopes work. In winter, catch snowflakes to see variations in their patterns.
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