Recently I have become acquainted with a man who seems like a kindred spirit. He lived a long time ago but I think we both share a fascination with nature, snowflakes in particular. He had a mother that encouraged him in his interests and gave him a great gift. May we all give our children this same gift….one of helping to feed their passions.
Here is a YouTube video with Bentley’s own words and story. I invite you to watch this short video.
This is another video you may enjoy watching too.You will have to click over to YouTube to watch this one. I have not watched all the videos that come up after this one so please preview any other videos that may pop up.
Masters of Photography: Wilson Snowflake Bentley
Edit to add: My daughter on her blog, Hearts and Trees, shared a short video on how to catch snowflakes last year. Here is your link:
Snow Day Science
What perfect timing! Yesterday it was snowing here, nice fluffy crystals. I got the black felt out of the freezer and collected some snowflakes. We looked at them through our magnifying loupes and they were amazing! I know this sounds ridiculous, but they really do look like the ones in the pictures! I was even able to capture one with my digital camera and when blown up on the computer it looks pretty good. Nowhere near what Wilson Bentley did, but exciting anyway.
The book, Snowflake Bentley, has been one of our favorites and it is one I have bought for other people as a gift. Check your local library for Wilson Bentley’s book “Snow Crystals”. There is also a newer book by Ken Libbrecht that looks interesting.
BTW, I think it was your daughter that gave me the idea to put the felt in the freezer and try catching snowflakes to look at, so thank you!
Sarah
Hi Sarah!
Thanks for the comment…I am so glad to hear that you are able to catch and observe the snowflakes.
Also, thanks for the reminder about Amanda’s video. I have added it to the blog post.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
I even found a couple snowflake field guides at the used bookstore recently.
We just finished making our snow catchers a few weeks ago. Its in our blog-Chartwell Academy. I’m amazed at the things from my own childhood that I tucked into the back of my brain and that another homeschooler nudges back to the front. Now I’ll hunt for some books!
Great minds think alike again, Barb! I just put up my winter nature study (which will be our unit study for the next 2 weeks.) Snowflake Bentley will be one of our main books! It is also a Five in a Row volume 4 title. Here are the ideas and resources I found to go along with this book and winter/snow:
http://candacemercyisnew.blogspot.com/2009/01/winter-nature-study.html
Candace
ok, thank you so much for finding my mistake! Duh, I didn’t even put the link in there! oops! Here is the link that should take you to where I found the video.
http://snowflakebentley.com/vid.htm
You might search around on youtube (I plan on doing that next week) I think I saw a few there as well!
Thanks!
Candace
Today I checked out another resource people might find helpful. It is BrainPop.com. this is generally a site you have to pay for, but I noticed that right now they have a spotlight on Winter and Snow that is free.
This site has short, simple animated videos that explain topics like snowflakes, glaciers and avalanches among others. There are also quizzes, activity pages and timelines.
Sarah
Oh yes, Wilson A. Bently is a kindred spirit indeed. We studied about him back when we were using the curriculum Five in a Row, and we are getting ready to study about him again when we start our snow unit.
Blessings,
Melissa
I LOVE the book “Snowflake Bentley.” Wasn’t he an incredible man? Thanks for the videos, too!
This is just for fun, but we sometimes play with an amazing site that makes virtual snowflakes. They turn out beautifully! http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/