Snowflakes are six-sided crystals which form in one of seven different shapes. Here are some ideas for studying snowflake shapes.
How to Catch a Snowflake
If you want to keep snowflakes long enough to study them, you have to catch them on a frozen surface.
1. Place a dark sheet of construction paper in your refrigerator freezer. When it shows, take the sheet of paper and a magnifying glass outside and study the flakes as they land on the paper.
2. Chill a pane of glass and either hair spray or artists’ fixative in your refrigerator overnight. In a well ventilated area spray the pane of glass with the fixative or hair spray and put the pane of glass in your refrigerator freezer.
3. When it snows, take the pane of glass outside and collect snowflakes.
4. After you have collected enough, bring the glass inside and let it dry at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. You will have a permanent snowflake display.
Follow up challenge:
Draw snowflake shapes described by the following terms:
Cup
Dendrite
Flat Plate
Hexagonal Column
Hexagonal Plate
Needle
Prismatic Column