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Below you will find a collection of rainbow theme learning activities and games. These ideas will work great for the classroom or at home.

One of the most magical sights in nature is a rainbow! Music and poetry have addressed the beauty of this phenomenon. Is it any wonder that it is such a popular theme for children's classrooms and programs?

There are many ideas that are geared to younger children in this category; however, there are also suggestions for school-age youth.

Rainbow Games for Kids

1. Rainbow Tag
Needed:
✓ Four or more players
✓ Five tongue depressors, each one marked with a color of the rainbow
✓ Water-based face paint
✓ Crayons in the same rainbow colors
✓ A pink or rainbow-colored article of clothing
✓ Wet wipes
How to Play:

1. To prepare, hide each tongue depressor along with the matching color of face paint in a different place around the play area.

2. Next, choose someone to be "Pinkie", the player who sneaks around trying to tag the other players and undo their progress. Give Pinkie something pink or rainbow-colored to wear.

3. To play, set everyone but Pinkie out in search of the sticks.

4. Each time a player finds one of the colored sticks, he should discreetly - don't give away the location to the others! - paint a stripe on his face, then leave the stick and paint in place. Bluffing is encouraged to keep the locations secret.

5. The catch: Pinkie will be lurking, trying to tag the players. Every time she does, she wipes off one of their stripes.

6. The first player to get one stripe in each color wins.

Source: familyfun.go.com

2. Rainbow Colored Block Stacking Game

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This is a fun game using blocks of different colors. Not only will this be fun for the classroom but it would make a great birthday party game.
How to Play

1. Build a tower with colorful blocks.

2. Roll the animal dice.

3. Remove a block containing the animal from the dice that was rolled.

4. Stack the removed block on top of the tower.

5. Continue to play until the tower collapses.

3. Pot of Gold Drama Game

You say, "If I found a pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow, I'd buy this..." Then you show by acting out what you would buy. The others try to guess what you bought, and the first one to guess becomes the new actor.

Have a TREASURE HUNTand hide the treasure in a pot of gold to be shared by everyone once all the 'rainbow-themed clues' have been found.

4. Rainbow Walk Party Game
Instructions

1. Spread out different colored paper circles.

2. Children step on each circle as the music is playing.

3. Once it stops, the child on a certain color can get a prize.

Fun Rainbow Fact

We see rainbows during rain showers when the sun is shining on raindrops. Rainbows appear in the part of the sky that is the opposite of the sun. The closer we are to the rainbow-the brighter it appears, Rainbow colors are always the same in order: Violet, Dark Blue, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red. Everyone who looks at a rainbow sees it differently.

Rainbow Activities for Kids

5. Rainbow Hands Bulletin Board
Instructions

1. Using colored construction paper of yellow, orange, red, blue, green and purple trace children's hands.

2. Make about 10 handprints of each of the colors of the rainbow.

3. Put the children's names on the hand-prints; form the hands into a large, curved rainbow shape. (All the reds in one curved arch of the rainbow...

6. Coffee Filter Rainbows

Learning topics: rainbows, light, chromatography, spectrum, and color

The rainbows that we see in the sky are caused by a reflection of the sun's rays in drops of rain. There are also other ways to view a rainbow with the help of water and a few other supplies.

Materials:
✓ Coffee filter
✓ Paper clip
✓ Black and green water
✓ Soluble pens
✓ saucer
Instructions

1. Fold the coffee filter into half.

2. Fold it again one more time.

3. Draw a dark green line about one inch (2-3 cm) from the round edge of the filter. (Be sure to save room for a black line next to it).

4. Proceed to draw a dark black line one inch (2-3 cm) from the other side of the round edge. (Do not let the lines touch each other).

5. Make the filter into a cone shape by securing the edge of the paper filter with the paper clip.

6. Place water in the saucer.

7. Put the round edge of the filter in the water.

8. Let the filter stay in this position for one hour and then observe the results.

9. Now, explore! Pay close attention to what happens to the dark green line. Record your observations and explain what you think is happening during this experiment.

Source: cosi.org

7. Catching an Indoor Rainbow
Materials:
✓ Clear glass or medium-sized clear jar filled with water to the top
✓ Window sill
✓ Bright sunlight
✓ White paper
✓ Watercolor paints or crayons.
Instructions:

1. Fill a glass or clear jar with water to the top.

2. Set glass/jar on the window sill in bright sunlight.

3. Glass or jar should stick out over the ledge just a little bit.

4. Place a white piece of paper on the floor in front of the window (tape 2 or 3 pieces to form a poster size and obtain a bigger rainbow image).

5. A rainbow will be captured/reflected on the paper. This will greatly depend on how bright the sunlight is and the positioning of the glass jar, so move the jar side to side on the window sill to help the process until you see the rainbow reflected on the paper.

6. Quickly draw lines to capture the rainbow and children can paint directly on the paper on the floor as the rainbow is reflected there.

8. An Indoor Rainbow
Instructions

1. To create an indoor rainbow fill a glass pan with water and place a mirror in the water so that it is leaning against the edge of the pan.

2. Completely darken the room and shine a flashlight on the mirror.

3. Carefully adjust the angle of the light until a rainbow is reflected on a wall or the ceiling.

4. You can then give children with paper and art supplies to copy the order of the colors of the rainbow...

9. Plant a Rainbow

You can grow a blooming rainbow by planting curved rows of different-colored flowers. For the best effect, use plants that have similar heights.

Rainbow Arts and Crafts for Kids

10. Water Color Giant Rainbow
Instructions

1. Make a giant rainbow by painting a large sheet of paper with water.

2. Add big arcs of color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet).

3. The colors will slowly blend into each other.

11. Rainbow Arcs
Instructions

1. Remove the wrappers from rainbow-colored crayons: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

2. Have children use the sides of the crayons to draw rainbow arcs on paper.

3. If the weather is good, invite them to make rainbows on a sidewalk with colored chalk.

12. Tape 6 Different Crayons

Arrange six crayons in a straight line. They should be arranged in order of the rainbow colors. Show children how to draw a rainbow with one stroke.

13. Fruit Cereal Rainbows

Materials:
Instructions

1. Glue rainbow-colored Froot Loop cereal on construction paper in the SHAPE OF A RAINBOW!

2. When complete add the cotton clouds and sun.

14. Paper and Yarn Rainbow
Materials:
✓ Roll paper
✓ Several different colors of yarn
✓ Construction paper that matches yarn colors
✓ Glue
Optional: Crayons
Instructions

1. On pieces of roll paper, draw arched lines to represent rainbows.

2. Put glue on the rainbow lines and have children place a piece of different colored yarn along the entire length of each line.

3. Have the children tear the colored paper into pieces, one color at a time. Then have them glue the torn paper onto the area between the pieces of yarn, under the yarn for that color.

4. Encourage children to fill the entire space with the appropriate colored paper pieces.

5. You may want to color a portion of each space with a crayon to help.

15. Rainbow Art Collage

Using rainbow shaped paper and rainbow-colored yarn, the children can make rainbow yarn collages.

16. Summer Rainbow

This rainbow activity for 4 to 8 years old.
Materials:

✓ Washable watercolor
✓ Art tissue paper
✓ Construction paper - 9″ x 12″
✓ Cotton balls
✓ Ribbon & Yarn
✓ Glue
✓ Scissors
✓ Hole punch
✓ A rainbow template (Pre-make one)
Instructions:

1. Using the templates, trace and cut out one rainbow and 2 clouds.

2. Have children decorate both sides of the rainbow with watercolors.

3. Set aside to dry.

4. Glue the clouds to each end of the rainbow.

5. Cut brightly-colored tissue paper into 1/2″ strips.

6. Have the children glue the tissue paper strips to the clouds.

7. Glue cotton balls onto the clouds.

8. Attach yarn to the top of the rainbow to hang and display.

17. RAINBOW STREAMERS
Materials:
✓ Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple crepe paper streamers
✓ A paper plate for each child
✓ Scissors
✓ Stapler
Instructions

1. Cut the center out of a paper plate.

2. Cut long pieces of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple crepe paper streamers; each streamer should be about two to three feet long.

3. Staple a rainbow of streamers onto the paper plate.

18. Rainbow, Clouds, Rain Craft
Materials:

✓ 9″ paper plate
✓ 2 squares of tissue paper in each color: pink, peach, light yellow, lime, light blue, and lavender
✓ 6 cotton balls
✓ Christmas tree icicles
✓ Scissors
✓ Glue
✓ Stapler
✓ Tape
✓ Fishing line or yarn
✓ Needle or hole punch
Instructions

1. Cut a paper plate in half. Cut an arc from one half of the plate.

2. Cut tissue paper into 2″ squares from the rainbow colors. You may use either pastel or a variation would be to use bright colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple). Each color takes approximately 30 squares to completely cover a row.

3. Roll each square into a ball or pinch the entrance of the square and gather the tissue into a point and glue to the arc. Keep each color in its own row.

4. For the rain, tape Christmas tree icicles at the bottom back of the rainbow

5. For clouds, glue cotton balls or fiberfill to each end of the rainbow.

6. To make the hanger use a hole punch at the top of the rainbow and thread yarn through it. If you use fishing line, use a needle to thread it through.

By Ms. Brenda and Edith Kansas City Public Library

19. Rainbows from Buttons
Materials: Instructions

1. Arrange buttons on the paper in the shape of a rainbow and then paint the buttons in broad stripes of color with the paints.

2. Let buttons dry to have a nice button rainbow.

20. Colored Pasta Rainbows
Dye pasta noodles in batches of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

Have children use the pieces for:

#1. GLUE ON white paper to make a rainbow.

#2. STRING ON very long yarn in batches of colors.

For younger children: Sort and count the pasta pieces by color.

Place or glue the pieces on matching colored paper.
How to color pasta directions are in the Paint and Color Recipe
FUN 'RAINBOW THEMED' IDEAS

Ask children to wear clothing of each color of the rainbow or dress in a solid color of just one of the rainbow colors. You could also declare 'RAINBOW DAY" and all wear as many colors as possible!

21. Mix and match plates, cups, and napkins in rainbow colors.

Last update on 2021-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2021-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2021-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

22. Face painting a small rainbow on the cheek of each child.

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23. Attach a large cardboard painted rainbow to the room's front door.

24. Paint rainbows on the windows of your room....(See Paint Recipes on Paint page)

25. Read the 'Rainbow Fish' books. Make rainbow fish by decorating and putting sequins on cut out fish sha pes.

Last update on 2021-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

26. Rainbow Colored Slinkies
Purchase some rainbow-colored 'slinkies' to slink down some stairs or steps.

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27. Hide crayons of each rainbow color for the children to find. As each crayon is found, color in a previously drawn arc on a big piece of paper. (Children group color parts of the arc) Once the rainbow is complete, everyone could get a treat for great 'team' work!

28. Rainbow Doorway Decoration Idea
Put the Party Favors in a Rainbow Bag
29. Rainbow Party Favors

Last update on 2021-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Last update on 2021-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

S ONGS ABOUT RAINBOWS

The Rainbow Connection by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and featured in the first Muppet Movie. Sung by Kermit the Frog.

Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz.

I Can Sing a Rainbow: A children's song used to teach them the names of the colors.

Look to the Rainbow from Finian's Rainbow.

I'm Always Chasing Rainbows a song adapted from a Chopin Prelude

Reading rainbow theme song - Check out the rainbow theme tune lyrics

In Summary
Click here for Rain and Cloud Theme Ideas ...
We hope you have enjoyed these rainbow theme learning activities for kids. These ideas will work great for a rainbow theme day or even a rainbow-themed birthday party.

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29 Rainbow Theme Learning Activities and Games for Kids - Kid Activities

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here. Below you will find a collection of rainbow theme learning activities and games.

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A rainbow is a multicolored arc made by light striking water droplets.

The most familiar type rainbow is produced when sunlight strikes raindrops in front of a viewer at a precise angle (42 degrees). Rainbows can also be viewed around fog, sea spray, or waterfalls.

A rainbow is an optical illusion-it does not actually exist in a specific spot in the sky. The appearance of a rainbow depends on where you're standing and where the sun (or other source of light) is shining.

The sun or other source of light is usually behind the person seeing the rainbow. In fact, the center of a primary rainbow is the antisolar point, the imaginary point exactly opposite the sun.

Rainbows are the result of the refraction and reflection of light. Both refraction and reflection are phenomena that involve a change in a wave's direction. A refracted wave may appear "bent," while a reflected wave might seem to "bounce back" from a surface or other wavefront.

Light entering a water droplet is refracted. It is then reflected by the back of the droplet. As this reflected light leaves the droplet, it is refracted again, at multiple angles.

The radius of a rainbow is determined by the water droplets' refractive index. A refractive index is the measure of how much a ray of light refracts (bends) as it passes from one medium to another-from air to water, for example. A droplet with a high refractive index will help produce a rainbow with a smaller radius. Saltwater has a higher refractive index than freshwater, for instance, so rainbows formed by sea spray will be smaller than rainbows formed by rain.

Rainbows are actually full circles. The antisolar point is the center of the circle. Viewers in aircraft can sometimes see these circular rainbows.

Viewers on the ground can only see the light reflected by raindrops above the horizon. Because each person's horizon is a little different, no one actually sees a full rainbow from the ground. In fact, no one sees the same rainbow-each person has a different antisolar point, each person has a different horizon. Someone who appears below or near the "end" of a rainbow to one viewer will see another rainbow, extending from his or her own horizon.

Colors

A rainbow shows up as a spectrum of light: a band of familiar colors that include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The name "Roy G. Biv" is an easy way to remember the colors of the rainbow, and the order in which they appear: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. (Many scientists, however, think "indigo" is too close to blue to be truly distinguishable.)

White light is how our eyes perceive all the colors of the rainbow mixed together. Sunlight appears white.

When sunlight hits a rain droplet, some of the light is reflected. The electromagnetic spectrum is made of light with many different wavelengths, and each is reflected at a different angle. Thus, spectrum is separated, producing a rainbow.

Red has the longest wavelength of visible light, about 650 nanometers. It usually appears on the outer part of a rainbow's arch. Violet has the shortest wavelength (about 400 nanometers) and it usually appears on the inner arch of the rainbow.

At their edges, the colors of a rainbow actually overlap. This produces a sheen of "white" light, making the inside of a rainbow much brighter than the outside.

Visible light is only part of a rainbow. Infrared radiation exists just beyond visible red light, while ultraviolet is just beyond violet. There are also radio waves (beyond infrared), x-rays (beyond ultraviolet), and gamma radiation (beyond x-rays). Scientists use an instrument called a spectrometer to study these invisible parts of the rainbow.

Rainbow Variations

The atmosphere opposite a rainbow, facing the sun, is often glowing. This glow appears when rain or drizzle is falling between the viewer and the sun.

The glow is formed by light passing through raindrops, not reflected by them. Some scientists call this glow a zero-order glow.
Double Rainbow
Sometimes, a viewer may see a "double rainbow." In this phenomenon, a faint, secondary rainbow appears above the primary one.

Double rainbows are caused by light being reflected twice inside the raindrop. As a result of this second reflection, the spectrum of the secondary rainbow is reversed: red is on the inner section of the arch, while violet is on the outside.
Higher-Order Rainbows
Light can be reflected from many angles inside the raindrop. A rainbow's "order" is its reflective number. (Primary rainbows are first-order rainbows, while secondary rainbows are second-order rainbows.) Higher-order rainbows appear to viewers facing both toward and away from the sun.

A tertiary rainbow, for example, appears to a viewer facing the sun. Tertiary rainbows are third-order rainbows-the third reflection of light. Their spectrum is the same as the primary rainbow.

Tertiary rainbows are difficult to see for three main reasons. First, the viewer is looking toward the sun-the center of a tertiary rainbow is not the antisolar point, it's the sun itself. Second, tertiary rainbows are much, much fainter than primary or secondary rainbows. Finally, tertiary rainbows are much, much broader than primary and secondary rainbows.

Quaternary rainbows are fourth-order rainbows, and also appear to viewers facing the sun. They are even fainter and broader than tertiary rainbows.

Beyond quaternary rainbows, higher-order rainbows are named by their reflective number, or order. In the lab, scientists have detected a 200th-order rainbow.
Twinned Rainbow
A twinned rainbow is two distinct rainbows produced from a single endpoint. Twinned rainbows are the result of light hitting an air mass with different sizes and shapes of water droplets-usually a raincloud with different sizes and shapes of raindrops.

Supernumerary Rainbow

A supernumerary rainbow is a thin, pastel-colored arc usually appearing below the inner arch of a rainbow. Supernumeraries are the result of the complex interaction of light rays in an air mass with small, similarly sized water droplets.

In supernumerary formation, reflected rays interact in ways called constructive and destructive interference. Light is either reinforced (constructive interference) or canceled out (destructive interference). Interference is responsible for the lighter hues and narrower bands of supernumeraries.
Reflection Rainbow
A reflection rainbow appears above a body of water. A primary rainbow is reflected by the water, and the reflected light produces a reflection rainbow. Reflection rainbows do not mirror the primary rainbow-they often appear to stretch above it.
Reflected Rainbow
A reflected rainbow appears directly on the surface of a body of water. A reflected rainbow is created by rays of light reflected by the water surface, after the rays have have passed through water droplets. Reflected rainbows to not appear to form a circle with a primary rainbow, although their endpoints seem to meet in an almond-shaped formation.
Red Rainbow
A red rainbow, also called a monochrome rainbow, usually appears at sunrise or sunset. During this time, sunlight travels further in the atmosphere, and shorter wavelengths (blue and violet) have been scattered. Only the long-wavelength red colors are visible in this rainbow.

A fogbow is formed in much the same way as a primary rainbow. Light in a fogbow is refracted and reflected by fog (water droplets suspended in air). A fogbow seen in the clouds is called a cloudbow.

Because the water droplets in fog are much smaller than raindrops, fogbows have much fainter colors than rainbows. In fact, some fogbows have few detectable colors at all and appear mostly white, with a reddish tinge on their outer edge and a bluish tinge on their inner edge.

A moonbow, also called a lunar rainbow, is a rainbow produced by light reflected by the moon.

The moon itself does not emit light, of course. Moonlight is reflected sunlight, as well as some starlight and "Earthlight." Because moonlight is so much fainter than sunlight, moonbows are dimmer than rainbows.

Rainbows in Myth

Rainbows are part of the myths of many cultures around the world. Rainbows are often portrayed as bridges between people and supernatural beings. In Norse mythology, for instance, a rainbow called the Bifrost connects Earth with Asgard, where the gods live. In the ancient beliefs of Japan and Gabon, rainbows were the bridges that human ancestors took to descend to the planet.

The shape of a rainbow also resembles the bow of an archer. Hindu culture teaches that the god Indra uses his rainbow bow to shoot arrows of lightning.

Rainbows are usually positive symbols in myths and legends. In the Epic of Gilgamesh and, later, the Christian Bible, the rainbow is a symbol from a deity (the goddess Ishtar and the Hebrew God) to never again destroy Earth with floods.

Sometimes, however, rainbows are negative symbols. In parts of Burma, for instance, rainbows are considered demons that threaten children. Tribes throughout the Amazon Basin associate rainbows with disease.

Perhaps the most famous piece of mythology surrounding rainbows is the Irish legend of the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The gold is guarded by a tricky leprechaun, but-because no one sees the same rainbow and rainbows don't "end" (they're circles)-no one ever finds the gold or the magical creature.

Rainbow Flags

Rainbow flags usually appear as stripes (bands) of at least five different colors. Rainbow flags have long represented groups championing diversity, respect, and inclusiveness.

The Wiphala is a type of rainbow flag. It is a symbol of communities indigenous to the Andes, stretching from modern-day Ecuador to Chile. A Wiphala has been an official flag of Bolivia since 2009, when the nation elected its first indigenous president, Evo Morales. The Wiphala features a diagonal patchwork design with squares in different rainbow colors. Different arrangements of patchwork squares represent different Andean communities.

The Buddhist flag, designed in the 19th century, is flown by Buddhists around the world. It is a vertical arrangement of six bands, each representing a different aspect of Buddhism, from kindness to moderation, blessings to wisdom.

The Jewish Autonomous Oblast, a community on Russia's border with China, is represented by a seven-banded rainbow flag. The seven bands symbolize the seven branches of a menorah.

The most familiar rainbow flag may be the banner representing the movement supporting civil rights for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The different colors of the "LGBT pride" flag represent the diverse community itself, as well as different aspects associated with each color. Orange, for example, symbolizes health and healing, while green symbolizes nature.

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A rainbow is a multicolored arc made by light striking water droplets.

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A storm is a disturbance in the atmosphere, or air. Thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes are powerful and sometimes dangerous types of storms. People also use the word...

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Snow comes in a variety of patterns! No 2 snowflakes looks the same! 

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Sid the Science Kid . Games . Weather Surprise | PBS KIDS

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

Wind, in climatology, the movement of air relative to the surface of the Earth. Winds play a significant role in determining and controlling climate and weather. A brief treatment of winds follows. For full treatment, see climate: Wind.

wind bending palm trees Karl Weatherly-Photodisc/Thinkstock

Wind occurs because of horizontal and vertical differences (gradients) in atmospheric pressure. Accordingly, the distribution of winds is closely related to that of pressure. Near the Earth's surface, winds generally flow around regions of relatively low and high pressure-cyclones and anticyclones, respectively. They rotate counterclockwise around lows in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise around those in the Southern Hemisphere. Similarly, wind systems rotate around the centres of highs in the opposite direction.

In the middle and upper troposphere, the pressure systems are organized in a sequence of high-pressure ridges and low-pressure troughs, rather than in the closed, roughly circular systems nearer the surface of the Earth. They have a wavelike motion and interact to form a rather complex series of ridges and troughs. The largest of the wave patterns are the so-called standing waves that have three or four ridges and a corresponding number of troughs in a broad band in middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The westerlies of the Southern Hemisphere are much less strongly affected by standing disturbances. Associated with these long standing waves are the short waves (several hundred kilometres in wavelength) called traveling waves. Such traveling waves form the upper parts of near-surface cyclones and anticyclones to which they are linked, thus guiding their movement and development.

At high latitudes the winds are generally easterly near the ground. In low, tropical, and equatorial latitudes, the northeasterly trade winds north of the intertropical convergence zone (ICZ), or thermal equator, and the southeasterly trade winds south of the ICZ move toward the ICZ, which migrates north and south with the seasonal position of the Sun. Vertically, winds then rise and create towering cumulonimbus clouds and heavy rain on either side of the ICZ, which marks a narrow belt of near calms known as the doldrums. The winds then move poleward near the top of the troposphere before sinking again in the subtropical belts in each hemisphere. From here, winds again move toward the Equator as trade winds. These gigantic cells with overturning air in each of the hemispheres in low latitudes are known as the Hadley cells. In the mid-latitudes, oppositely rotating wind systems called Ferrel cells carry surface air poleward and upper tropospheric air toward the Hadley cells. The three-dimensional pattern of winds over the Earth, known as general circulation, is responsible for the fundamental latitudinal structure of pressure and air movement and, hence, of climates.

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On a smaller scale are the local winds, systems that are associated with specific geographic locations and reflect the influence of topographic features. The most common of these local wind systems are the sea and land breezes, mountain and valley breezes, foehn winds (also called chinook, or Santa Ana, winds), and katabatic winds. Local winds exert a pronounced influence on local climate and are themselves affected by local weather conditions.

Wind speeds and gustiness are generally strongest by day when the heating of the ground by the Sun causes overturning of the air, the descending currents conserving the angular momentum of high-altitude winds. By night, the gustiness dies down and winds are generally lighter.

Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

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Wind, in climatology, the movement of air relative to the surface of the Earth. Winds play a significant role in determining and controlling climate and weather. A brief treatment of winds follows. For full treatment, see climate: Wind. Wind occurs because of horizontal and vertical differences

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Definition: the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land, involving precipitation as rain and snow, drainage in streams and rivers, and return to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration

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Natural water cycle game | South East Water Education

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Explore the natural water cycle and help Whoosh keep the water moving in this fun and interactive online game.

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It might seem like an odd idea but there are different types of snow and you need to know about them if you're a keen skier. The different types of snow will affect how your skis ride and how you handle yourself. But let's start right from the beginning...

You will probably remember form your science lessons as an 8 year old that snow is, essentially, frozen water. In the correct sense of it all, snow is actually a form of precipitation in the form of ice crystals. Quick science lesson over! Here's the types of snow you need to know about:

Powder Snow

The sweetest type of snow there is. You'll hear skiers and snowboarders the world over talking about their 'sweetest powder day' or the most recent dumping of the fluffy stuff. It's the freshly fallen snow that's sitting on the mountainside waiting for someone to come along and break it in for the day, It's so smooth that you'll feel like you're on the moon as you carve two fresh plank `lines through it it's THAT soft. It's often packed in thick layers that form a pillow for any crashes you decide to take! It'll allow you to push yourself to stomp that new trick and hold your edge and it's the most forgiving. Trust me ... you want to get some powder skiing in.

You need to remember that speed is the one thing you'll need. If you're shredding with the pace of a 90 year old counting the candles on their birthday cake, which someone has put one extra on there for comedy effect, you won't be going anywhere in a hurry. The powder will become the bog you hate as it swallows you up! Keep the speed up and you'll be floating around like Neil Armstrong on a good day at work.
Even though it's thick, wonderful and sublime, powder can cover up some rocks, crevasses and tree stumps so, even though it's nice to be reckless, try not to get too carried away!

Crud

This is widely known as the next phase from powder. It's when more and more people ride through powder, the snow gets packed in certain places, piled in others, generally an even uneven surface with slippery patches and huge lumps of powder. It's not great fun to ride but it's snow nonetheless so we can't complain too much. Just because it's uneven and bumpy doesn't mean that you can't have as much fun as you would have on it! Feel free to use every dip and ditch as a neat little kicker and use the excess snow to spray your pals.
One good tip for riding on crud is to make sure you keep your eyes on where you're going. It can throw up a few surprises but learning it's tricks will improve your riding no end.

Crust

The name says it all. You'll get crust when the sun and wind melt the top layer of powder and the cold then makes it freeze into a solid again. The crust will then sit upon softer powder snow giving one hell of an interesting ride! If you get soft crust then you'll be able to break through it and ride the powder underneath but if the crust is tough, you'll be riding the icy treat that no one enjoys. However there's an unhappy medium in all of this. The crust can be patchy. You'll be riding through some soft crust and smash your shins right into a frozen piece of hard crust, leaving you in agony and crying out for your mother.
Crust requires a more aggressive style of riding so make sure you jump turn or pull your knees up in the turns and you should remain relatively unscathed.

Slush

Long story short, slush is basically snow that has started to melt and therefore becomes more wet. It's not pleasant, it's not pretty but it's not the end of the world. If you go on a late season holiday at Easter time you'll be sure to find slush in some form. Wet snow is heavier than light snow (obviously), so make sure you nail the smooth carving turns and you'll find your energy will last the day. Oh, and make sure that you know you'll be getting wet, it is slush after all!

Ice

Let's dispel a myth straight away - you'll never find real ice on the slopes. People may say you can but you can't. What you do find on the slopes is snow that has been melted and frozen many times, which then forms icy compacted snow. Ice (I'll call it ice now as it's easier) is hated by skiers and snowboarders everywhere. It's the hell to the powder heaven. It's the polar opposite as it's hard and slippery and nowhere near as forgiving as powder. It's incredibly hard to keep an edge so you have to make sure that you keep your moves subtle. You should also get your skis tuned up as much as possible as a good sharp edge will help on an icy surface. It's incredibly rare that you'll find a slope full of the icy stuff but beware that it can always happen!

Those are the 5 types of snow and how they perform. People may tell you there are a thousand more types of snow but, when we boil it down, it lands on these 5. Share it around and keep it in your head for future pub quiz knowledge or just impress the piste workers when you're on your next skiing holiday.

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5 Types of Snow and How They Function | Snow.Guide

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It might seem like an odd idea but there are different types of snow and you need to know about them if you're a keen skier. The different types of snow will affect how your skis ride and how you handle yourself. But let's start right from the beginning...

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Simulate a tornado or a hurricane! Make lightning in a cloud! Check out our games and simulations for an interactive way to learn how weather works.

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Weather | Science Basics For Kids | Science For Class 1

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How's The Weather? | ft. the Super Simple Puppets | Super Simple Songs

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Definition: atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer

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NWS Columbia SC Student and Teacher Resources

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Definition: pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds

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Definition: the weather is warm, and the sun is out

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Home page for the Water Cycle topic.This website, presented by NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, provides students and educators with resources to learn about Earth's water cycle, weather and climate, and the technology and societal applications of studying them.

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Definition: the perceptible natural movement of the air, especially in the form of a current of air blowing from a particular direction.

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Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writers

Kim Rutledge
Tara Ramroop
Diane Boudreau
Melissa McDaniel
Santani Teng
Erin Sprout
Hilary Costa
Hilary Hall
Jeff Hunt

Illustrators

Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society
Tim Gunther

Editors

Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing
Kara West

Educator Reviewer

Nancy Wynne

Producer

Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

Sources

Dunn, Margery G. (Editor). (1989, 1993). "Exploring Your World: The Adventure of Geography." Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.

Last Updated

Jan. 21, 2011

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Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

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Definition: a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow.

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Weather radar, wind and waves forecast for kiters, surfers, paragliders, pilots, sailors and anyone else. Worldwide animated weather map, with easy to use layers and precise spot forecast. METAR, TAF and NOTAMs for any airport in the World. SYNOP codes from weather stations and buoys.

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Image

Sleet occurs when falling snow melts and then refreezes before it hits the ground. Sleet falls onto an oak tree in rural Wales, United Kingdom, in January 2015.

Photograph by Kathy deWitt/Alamy Stock Photo

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Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary

Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Director

Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society

Author

National Geographic Society

Production Managers

Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society

Program Specialists

Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society
Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

Producer

Clint Parks

Last Updated

Aug. 26, 2020

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Director

Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society

Author

National Geographic Society

Production Managers

Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society
Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society

Program Specialists

Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society
Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

Producer

Clint Parks

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Image Sleet occurs when falling snow melts and then refreezes before it hits the ground. Sleet falls onto an oak tree in rural Wales, United Kingdom, in January 2015. Photograph by Kathy deWitt/Alamy Stock Photo This lists the logos of programs or partners of NG Education which have provided or contributed the content on this page.

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Definition: moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops

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And what causes snow, hail, and ice rain?

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Learn about how water moves all around our planet.