Science With Me !

December 2006

LAST MONTH’S
WINNERS WERE:

Cara Donnellan,
Dublin, Ireland

Brian Morrissey,
Dublin, Ireland

Teresa Weller,
Hamilton, NJ

Katherine Benson,
Surrey, U.K.

Sandi Dexter,
Seattle, WA

SCIENCE WITH ME! is a website that helps parents and teachers of young children teach and talk science with their children in a fun and entertaining way. You can do science experiments with your child, have your child color one of our worksheets or learn about science through our unique animations that hold their attention and leave them feeling that science is great fun! Share this newsletter with your children and don’t forget to stop by and visit Tavish and the other characters at www.sciencewithme.com

Did You Know?

Santa has to travel around the earth which is 25,000 miles or 40,000 kilometers around.
Santa has to travel through 25 different time zones all in one night.
Santa is busy on Christmas. There are 6.7 billion people in the world for him to visit (if they weren’t naughty).

The Science of Snow:

Did you know that a snowflake is not really the same thing as frozen raindrops? Snowflakes are crystals of ice that grow together in small clumps of pretty shapes. Snow is made in the clouds and flakes form whenever the temperature falls to about 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) high up in the clouds. Snow needs dust particles in the air to form its beautiful shape. When the snow flake gets heavy enough, it can fall from the sky.

Did you ever notice how quiet it is after a snowfall? It’s quiet because the snow absorbs sounds around it at makes it seem quieter outside. Loosely packed, fluffy snow quiets sounds the best. Later, when the snow gets packed down by people and automobiles, snow reflects sound so things sound louder and sound carries further.

When the air temperature is below 14 degrees Fahrenheit, snow doesn’t melt very easily so it crunches under our feet. Even though snow is white, it absorbs red light, leaving a slight blue color when we see it with our eyes.

Tavish picks a Christmas tree:

Christmas trees stay green for Christmas because they are evergreen or “coniferous” trees that don’t have leaves which fall off in the autumn. Instead, evergreen trees have needles that stay on all year round—perfect for Christmas trees!

Answers:
1.d 2.c 3.b 4.b

TAVISH QUIZZES US ON SCIENCE FACTS:

1. How many reindeer does Santa have, including Rudolph?
a. 6    b. 7   c. 8   d. 9

2. How many points does a snowflake have?
a. 4    b. 5   c.6    d. 8

3. Which one of these is not a Santa’s reindeer
a. Dasher   b. Dancy   c. Prancer   c. Comet

4. Which type of tree would make a good Christmas tree?
a. Palm   b. Pine   c. Oak   d. Maple

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