Download Falling Ice and Snow

50-1 (05)
release dates: December 10-16
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
Freezing Rain, Sleet, Hail, Snow
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Falling Ice and Snow
Winter precipitation
photo by Janet Ward, courtesy NOAA
photo by Mike Williams, courtesy Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Precipitation (pree-sih-puh-TAYshun) is any moisture falling from the
sky to the Earth. What sort of
precipitation falls around your home
in the winter?
If you live in a warmer climate, you
might never
see snow. But
you might get
freezing rain
or sleet. If you
live in a
colder, more northern area, you
probably get snow, plus freezing rain
and sleet.
Winter weather can be a big
problem. It can also be beautiful. The
cold winter air turns water into
something different, special and
amazing.
Winter storms are the largest
storms on the planet. One winter
storm can control the weather over
half of the country.
Early morning light shining on icicles and
snow turns an ordinary home in Harpers
Ferry, W.Va., into part of a fairyland scene.
Hundreds of visitors
hike into Hocking
Hills State Park in
Ohio to see ice
formations and
snow-covered
wilderness.
Water in the air
Freezing rain
An envelope of air called the
atmosphere surrounds the Earth.
There is always water in the
atmosphere, usually in the form of
water vapor, or gas. We cannot see it
in this form.
When water rises higher in the
atmosphere, it
cools, becoming
something we
can see, such
as clouds or ice
crystals. From
the ground, ice crystals might look like
halos in the sky.
In the winter, water freezes into
different forms. The form it freezes
into depends on two things:
• the temperature of the air it falls
through;
• how much water there is in the
air to start with.
One of the most dreaded forms of
winter precipitation is freezing rain. It
makes any kind of travel dangerous
and can
break power
lines and
trees. It also
makes the
world look
like a
magical
wonderland.
Freezing rain can fall when an area
of warm air meets an area of colder
air. The warm air rises above the
cold air.
If there is a lot of moisture in the
warm upper air, it will start raining.
But if the temperature right above the
ground is below freezing, the rain will
freeze as it lands. It will coat
everything on the ground with ice.
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50-2 (05); release dates: December 10-16
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from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Snowflake Man
His photographs
Wilson Bentley was the first
person to take a picture of an
individual snowflake crystal, in
1885. He was only 19 when he took
his first closeup of a snowflake.
He was a self-educated Vermont
farmer. He figured out how to attach
a microscope to a camera without
help from other scientists.
Once he perfected his invention, he
spent the rest of his life taking pictures
of snowflakes. He photographed more
than 5,000 different snowflakes.
Almost from the time he published
his first snowflake pictures, people
began calling him “Snowflake Man.”
He also figured out a way to
measure the size of raindrops. He
was the first to figure out that
different sizes of raindrops come
from different kinds of storms.
His work on weather was so far
ahead of its time that at first people
just thought he was a bit strange.
Wilson Bentley’s mother taught
him at home when he was a child.
Then he educated himself. So when
he first started photographing and
writing about snowflakes, scientists
did not take him seriously.
But he helped prove that each
snowflake is different from every
other snowflake. There are millions
of different designs. Scientists from
around the world learned about
snow from his work.
He also sold some of his photos to
a famous jeweler. They were used to
design jewelry.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
photo courtesy NOAA
Photographing snowflakes
Wilson Bentley (1865-1931) sets up his
invention to photograph snowflakes.
photographs by Wilson Bentley, courtesy NOAA
TM
Mini Spy and her pals are sledding in the fresh snow. See if
you can find: • horse’s head • candy cane • man in the moon
• safety pin
• word MINI
• number 7
• bread loaf
• fish • candle
• heart
• sea horse
• bandage
• ladder
• lips • elf
• hot dog
• pencil
• question
mark
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Precipitation
TRY ’N
FIND
Words that remind us of frozen precipitation are hidden in the block
below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you
can find: WINTER, ICE, SNOW, SLEET, RAIN, FREEZING,
TEMPERATURE, HAIL, MOISTURE, SKY, ATMOSPHERE, COLD,
WATER, STORMS, WEATHER, FALL, WINDS, CRYSTAL,
SNOWFLAKES, DESIGN, NATURE.
W S W L E R U T A R E P M E T
SNOW IS
I W N F R E E Z I N G K D D C
BEAUTIFUL!
N R A O V R E H T A E W C E R
T I A T W S K Y L I A H O S Y
E C C I E N A T U R E Y L I S
R E L O N R S T O R M S D G T
S D N I W E R U T S I O M N A
F A L L S E K A L F W O N S L
T E E L S E R E H P S O M T A
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50-3 (05); release dates: December 10-16
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
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Go dot to dot and color.
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Meatballs on a Stick
These are fun to make and serve at a holiday party.
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons dried onion
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• spaghetti sauce
What to do:
1. Grease a baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients and mix well.
3. With clean hands, form small balls and place in baking pan.
4. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn
to bake another 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Serve warm with toothpicks and warmed
spaghetti sauce in a bowl for dipping. Makes about 2 dozen
meatballs.
Note: You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
You’ll need:
photo credit Eric Charbonneau © Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Meet Randy Fullmer
Randy Fullmer has been creating Disney
animated films since 1987. His latest creation is
the movie “Chicken Little.”
Randy grew up in Richland, Wash. He enjoyed
playing the guitar as a boy. When he was 11, he
became part of a rock band as their lead guitarist.
Later, he went to college at Washington State
University to study architecture.
Randy discovered his interest in animation when he took a film
class. From there he attended CalArts, a school of film and video
production in Valencia, Calif. After graduating, he started a
company to make educational films. One of his jobs was providing
the animation for the TV show “Sesame Street.”
Randy’s first project with Disney was as one of the animators
for the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Some other movies he
has helped produce include “The Emperor’s New Groove,” “The
Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King.”
Randy lives in Florida with his wife and four children.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
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from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
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Ted: What did the dirt say when it rained?
Tina: “If this keeps up, my name is mud!”
Trevor: What’s worse than raining
cats and dogs?
Tamara: Hailing cabs!
Tim: The teacher said we have a test
today, rain or shine.
Tessa: So why are you so happy?
Tim: Because it’s snowing!
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
®
50-4 (05); release dates: December 10-16
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
More About Frozen Precipitation
Sleet
Hailstones
can be as
small as a
fingernail
or as big
as this
one, the
size of a
grapefruit.
photo courtesy NOAA
The Mini Page thanks Dennis Feltgen,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, for help with this issue.
Site to see: www.noaa.gov
Snow
Snowflakes
Unlike the other forms of frozen
precipitation, snow does not start as
rain. It is formed from tiny drops of
water vapor.
The drops of water vapor collect
around tiny bits of ice, dust or ash in
the atmosphere and form ice crystals*.
These ice crystals bump into other ice
crystals and join to form snowflakes.
The only time it snows is when
every layer of air in the atmosphere
is below freezing. If the snow falls
through warmer layers of air, it will
turn into rain.
Snow is the only type of precipitation
that is in the form of a crystal. One
snowflake may be made from one to
hundreds of ice crystals.
People often say, “No two
snowflakes are alike.” This is true;
snowflakes forming in nature are all
different from one another.
Snowflakes form into many kinds
of designs. The
type of design
depends on the
air temperature,
the amount of
moisture in the
atmosphere and
how much wind there is.
Ski resorts often make artificial
snow for their slopes. They usually
start with freezing water, and then
add chemicals. Today there are many
ways to make and spread out
artificial snow. For example, artificial
snow might be blown out by fans or
rolled out like a carpet.
Artificial snowflakes sometimes
look like the snowflakes found in
nature.
*A crystal is a material made in a regular,
orderly design, or pattern.
Snow-covered trees in Mohican State Park
in Ohio create a winter wonderland. Millions
of snowflakes grouped together make a
white, fluffy covering over the Earth, but
when seen under a microscope, snowflake
crystals are clear and sharp-edged.
photo by Wilson Bentley, courtesy NOAA
Hail is actually a lump of ice. It
can damage crops and property, and
sometimes even hurts people. It is
usually formed when there is a
thunderstorm, and can occur in any
season, even summer.
Hail is made when strong winds
blow rain higher into a cloud. When
rain reaches the colder heights, it
freezes.
The frozen rain gets heavy and
starts to fall, collecting more water
on the way down. Then the winds
push it back up, and it freezes again.
The more times the wind blows
the hailstone back up, the bigger it
grows. If you cut a hailstone in half,
you can see the different layers of
frozen water that formed it.
photo by Mike Williams, courtesy Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Hail
photo by Mike Williams, courtesy Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Sleet is made of tiny pieces of ice
falling to the
ground. It
often makes a
clattering
noise as it hits
solid objects.
Sleet forms when it begins raining
high in warmer layers of air. If the
raindrops fall through cold layers of
air, they can freeze as they fall and
form sleet.
This boy enjoys sledding
on the fresh snow in
Ohio.
Snow that forms from a
lot of moisture and little
wind will be a “wet”
snow. Adults might hate
wet snow, because it is
heavier and harder to
shovel. But most kids
love wet snow, because
it makes the best
snowmen, snowballs
and forts.
Look on the weather page of your
newspaper. Does the forecast predict
winter precipitation for your area?
Next week The Mini Page is all about
holiday music.
The Mini Page is created and edited by
Betty Debnam
Associate Editors
Tali Denton
Lucy Lien
Staff Artist
Wendy Daley
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
photo by Mike Williams, courtesy Ohio
Department of Natural Resources
Read all about
snow and ice
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 50.)
release dates: December 10-16
50-5 (05)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
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from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Standards Spotlight:
Falling Ice and Snow
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
Supersport: Ivory Latta
This week’s standard:
• Students understand changes in the Earth and sky. (Science: Earth and Space
Science)
Activities:
1. Draw a picture of yourself and some friends playing in the snow.
2. Ask family members and friends to tell you about a time they remember in the
snow or freezing rain. Do any people have similar memories? If the person you ask
has never seen snow or freezing rain, ask what he/she would like to do in the snow.
3. Look at the weather map in your newspaper. Circle the symbols for different kinds
of precipitation. Where is any precipitation falling today? What kind of
precipitation is it?
4. What type of precipitation forms when (a) rain meets cold air just above the
ground, (b) water vapor collects around tiny bits of ice, (c) rain falls through layers
of cold air, and (d) frozen rain collects more water as it is pushed up and down
through the atmosphere.
5. People in many cold weather locations have celebrations organized around snow
and ice. Use resource books and the Internet to learn about one of these special
events. Use these questions to guide your research: What is the name of the cold
weather festival or celebration? Where does it take place? When does it take place?
What “precipitation” activities take place at the event?
Height: 5-6
Hometown: McConnells, S.C.
Ivory Latta sparkles. With her thousand-watt
smile, North Carolina’s junior point guard has
endeared herself to thousands of women’s college
basketball fans.
As a third-team All-American last season, Latta
averaged 17.4 points and helped the University of
North Carolina gain a No. 4 national ranking. She also is rated as
one of the top passers in the nation. She’s Carolina’s “Energizer
Bunny” whose hustle and enthusiasm lift teammates as well.
Latta, an exercise and sports science major, also helps area
elementary children in a “Get Kids in Action” program.
As a youngster, Latta played several sports, including baseball.
As a high school senior she averaged 44.6 points per game and
scored 70 in one game. She also was a homecoming queen.
At UNC, she’s queen of the basketball court.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 50.)
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 50, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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