The Moon and its Phases

DID YOU KNOW?.....................

· The moon is the closest object to Earth and is ¼ times the size of the Earth.

· The moon is covered with craters made by rocks in space that smash into the moon.

· There is not any wind on the moon so astronaut's footsteps, like Neil Armstrong's, are there forever.

· The moon controls the Earths tides.

The phases of the Moon are: new moon, first quarter or crescent, full moon, and gibbous moon. When the moon is moving from small to large it's called waxing, and when it moves from large to small it is called waning.

Hibernation

Did you know that moles spend most of their lives underground hidden from enemies like the sharp-toothed weasel? They also stay hidden underground during hibernation. They need to be under the ground to stay safe from predators, and protected from wind and snowy weather.

Hibernation is when animals go into a sleepy state , and their breathing gets very light, they almost seem dead. The hibernating animals eat lots and lots of food, to build up fat for their long hibernation.

Scientists believe that the length of the daylight tells animals when to hibernate. As the days get shorter animals know that it is time to eat up and go to sleep.

TRUE HIBERNATORS

True hibernators like the ground squirrel hibernate all winter and don't wake up at all. Their body temperature drops down to just above freezing.

LIGHT SLEEPERS

Racoons, skunks and bears are not true hibernators, they are light sleepers. They sleep for awhile and wake up often. They look for predators and to eat a light snack. They do not hibernate underground, they sleep inside hollow trees or caves.

GLOSSARY:

Hibernation; to spend the winter in sleep

Predators: animals that hunt other animals

Snowflakes

Snowflakes are formed by water vapor and dust particles in clouds. The temperature of the air is what helps form the snowflake. Their arms are like branches, if the air is warm the branches get thin, and if the air is cold the branches get wider. Each snowflake is never exactly like another, they are all different. Some snowflakes look like stars, but they are all six-sided. It can take hundreds of snow crystals to make one snowflake. The largest snowflake ever recorded was 15 inches. The larger the flakes are, the faster they fall. Large flakes form when the temperature is warmer, and when the temperature is very cold the flakes are small and dry.

Did you know that Rochester, New York gets almost 8 feet of snowfall each winter? And that in the mountains of Washington state 95 feet of snow fell in one winter!

Owling

When you go out owling you have to be quiet. The best time to go owling is in the winter during a full moon. You also have to be brave because it is dark in the woods, if you get scared you might make a noise and then scare the owls away.

Sometimes you have to call the owl in. To call a Great Horned Owl you have to make a hooting sound six times. Right after you call you have to be silent to listen for the owl to call back. If the owl hears you it will echo your call. Sometimes the owl will fly towards you, you will see a dark shadow but you won’t hear anything because they fly silently.

MIGRATION

Migration is when animals travel from one place to another. They swim, walk, trot, or fly to move from one place to another. They are looking warm temperatures and available food. Some animals like robins and geese migrate from Maine to Florida and even Mexico. Monarch butterflies can fly from Canada to Mexico and South America to find warmer temperatures and food.

Here are some cool facts about the migrating animal the Whooping Crane:

The Whooping Cranes rare call can be heard two miles away. That’s a loud call!

Some Whooping Cranes do a dance to find a mate.

Whooping Cranes can be very loving too, in fact if one get hurt in the middle of a flight, their mate will stay behind which usually means the end of both birds.

The Whooping Crane is four feet tall with a wing span of seven and a half feet. Big bird huh?

THE WINTER SOLSTICE

THE WINTER SOLSTICE

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, December 21^st. The ancient people believed that there were evil spirits during the dark days of winter. They would start a fire, and boil water. Then they would put coals from the fire into the water and wash their hands in it. They believed it would keep evil spirits away.

People also celebrated the Winter Solstice by building huge bonfires! They had big feasts and gave presents to their children. They put coins in chocolate pudding for their children to find. Some people tied apples on their tree, and hung mistletoe on their altars where they prayed. They prayed a lot, they wanted the sun to come back really bad.

At the big feasts men were the only ones to eat at the tables. The girls had to make the food. They ate wild pigs that had fruit in their mouths.

Today people put up trees, turn on the lights and enjoy a cup of warm cocoa. They know that the sun isn’t gone, it’s just not rising as high in the sky, which gives us longer nights and shorter days.

By Connor and Dom

THE WINTER SOLSTICE

THE WINTER SOLSTICE

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, December 21^st. The ancient people believed that there were evil spirits during the dark days of winter. They would start a fire, and boil water. Then they would put coals from the fire into the water and wash their hands in it. They believed it would keep evil spirits away.

People also celebrated the Winter Solstice by building huge bonfires! They had big feasts and gave presents to their children. They put coins in chocolate pudding for their children to find. Some people tied apples on their tree, and hung mistletoe on their altars where they prayed. They prayed a lot, they wanted the sun to come back really bad.

At the big feasts men were the only ones to eat at the tables. The girls had to make the food. They ate wild pigs that had fruit in their mouths.

Today people put up trees, turn on the lights and enjoy a cup of warm cocoa. They know that the sun isn’t gone, it’s just not rising as high in the sky, which gives us longer nights and shorter days.

By Connor and Dom

Snowflake Bentley

SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY

Snowflake Bentley is famous because he was the first person to photograph a snowflake. His name was Wilson, and his mother was his teacher until he was 14 years old. He grew up in Vermont on a farm. When he was 15 he bought a camera because he wanted to take pictures of snowflakes. He wasn’t successful at first, but he kept trying and figured out how to get the picture before the snowflake melted. He took hundreds of pictures of snowflakes.

The best snowstorm of his life happened on Valentines Day in 1928. Wilson took over a hundred pictures of snowflakes over the two-day storm. He called the storm “ a gift from King Winter.

Wilson also took pictures in the summer. He took pictures of spider webs and insects. He also hung up a sheet and did a slideshow for his neighbors on summer nights.

He discovered that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. He loved what he did! Many colleges bought his pictures of snowflakes and lots of artists used his photographs to draw pictures of snowflakes.

Snowflake Bentley died from pneumonia after he had walked home in a blizzard. But he will always be remembered as the first person to capture a snowflake.

Snowflake Bentely

SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY

Snowflake Bentley is famous because he was the first person to photograph a snowflake. His name was Wilson, and his mother was his teacher until he was 14 years old. He grew up in Vermont on a farm. When he was 15 he bought a camera because he wanted to take pictures of snowflakes. He wasn’t successful at first, but he kept trying and figured out how to get the picture before the snowflake melted. He took hundreds of pictures of snowflakes.

The best snowstorm of his life happened on Valentines Day in 1928. Wilson took over a hundred pictures of snowflakes over the two-day storm. He called the storm “ a gift from King Winter.

Wilson also took pictures in the summer. He took pictures of spider webs and insects. He also hung up a sheet and did a slideshow for his neighbors on summer nights.

He discovered that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. He loved what he did! Many colleges bought his pictures of snowflakes and lots of artists used his photographs to draw pictures of snowflakes.

Snowflake Bentley died from pneumonia after he had walked home in a blizzard. But he will always be remembered as the first person to capture a snowflake.

Snowflake Bentley

SNOWFLAKE BENTLEY

Snowflake Bentley is famous because he was the first person to photograph a snowflake. His name was Wilson, and his mother was his teacher until he was 14 years old. He grew up in Vermont on a farm. When he was 15 he bought a camera because he wanted to take pictures of snowflakes. He wasn’t successful at first, but he kept trying and figured out how to get the picture before the snowflake melted. He took hundreds of pictures of snowflakes.

The best snowstorm of his life happened on Valentines Day in 1928. Wilson took over a hundred pictures of snowflakes over the two-day storm. He called the storm “ a gift from King Winter.

Wilson also took pictures in the summer. He took pictures of spider webs and insects. He also hung up a sheet and did a slideshow for his neighbors on summer nights.

He discovered that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. He loved what he did! Many colleges bought his pictures of snowflakes and lots of artists used his photographs to draw pictures of snowflakes.

Snowflake Bentley died from pneumonia after he had walked home in a blizzard. But he will always be remembered as the first person to capture a snowflake.

Blizzards

BLIZZARDS by Emma

What is a Blizzard?

Blizzards are one of the most deadly storms in the world! In a blizzard two things happen: SNOW and STRONG WINDS! Winds can blow 35 miles an hour or more, and heavy snow falls for hours! In New York City in 1888 a blizzard raged for over 36 hours. There was over 20 inches of snow and up to 40 foot snow drifts!

Hazardous Blizzards

Blizzards can kill hundreds of people in one storm. Over 200 people died in the New York City Blizzard of 1888. Many died from hypothermia. If you get hypothermia you can die from the coldness of a blizzard. You can also get frostbite from blizzards. You’ll know if you get frostbite because you will have red and white blotches on your nose, checks, fingers or toes. Even snow storms that are close to being a blizzard can still be severe.

Where and When do Blizzards happen?

Blizzards happened mostly in Canada, Russia and the Northeastern part of the United States. They usually happen during the winter months of December, January, or February.

GLOSSARY (WORDS YOU SHOUD KNOW)

Hypothermia very low body temperature caused by severe cold

Hazardous dangerous unsafe

Severe harsh or cruel

Snowflakes

By Bella and Maddie

Snowflakes are formed by water vapor and dust particles in clouds. The temperature of the air is what helps form the snowflake. Their arms are like branches, if the air is warm the branches get thin, and if the air is cold the branches get wider. Each snowflake is never exactly like another, they are all different. Some snowflakes look like stars, but they are all six-sided. It can take hundreds of snow crystals to make one snowflake. The largest snowflake ever recorded was 15 inches. The larger the flakes are, the faster they fall. Large flakes form when the temperature is warmer, and when the temperature is very cold the flakes are small and dry.

Did you know that Rochester, New York gets almost 8 feet of snowfall each winter? And that in the mountains of Washington state 95 feet of snow fell in one winter!