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Mountain to Climb:

Check out one of Wilson Bentley’s snowflake photographs that magnified the snowflake 64 times. Figure out how large the actual snowflake was and what the temperature was when it fell.

Seeking the Peak:

• Snowflake Photograph
• Snowflake Thermometer
• Read this article and pay close attention to how they refer to snowflake size
• Read this article to think about other ways to report the size of an object
• To review how to find the area of a triangle, check out this site.

Beyond the Peak:

• Article: How Snowflakes are Formed (mentioned in the video)
• Article: 3-D Pictures of Snow
• Video: Origami Snowflakes

Books

• Novel: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe –Four adventurous siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

• Picture Book: Snowflake Bentley – From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley’s enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist’s vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature. 

• Picture Book: The Secret Life of A Snowflake – Before a snowflake melts on your tongue, it makes an epic journey. This is the beautiful, full-color story of that journey, step by step, from a single snowflake’s creation in the clouds, through its fall to earth, to its brief and sparkling appearance on a child’s mitten. Told by a scientist who knows snowflakes better than almost anyone, the story features his brilliant photographs of real snowflakes, snowflakes forming (in the author’s lab), water evaporating, clouds developing, ice crystals, rain, dew, and frost–all the elements of the world and weather that add up, flake by flake, to the white landscape of winter. 

Reaching the Peak:

Once you think you have reached the peak of this mountain, ask an adult for permission to leave us a reply explaining how you arrived at a solution. Your reply may not appear right away – don’t worry! – it has been sent to Portal Peak for review and will be posted soon. Remember, there is no need to give an email, your last name, or a website when leaving your reply, just leave those parts blank. For more information, head over to the Navigator’s Base Camp.