Who was "Snowflake" Bentley?

This month's Art Theme is "snow" but, you cannot learn about snow without also learning about the "Father of Snow" Wilson A. Bentley. But who was he; and why does he deserve a whole month of our lesson time? Wilson Bentley was born in 1865 in Jericho, Vermont. Taught by his mother, he lived and worked on his family farm located in the "Snowbelt," where the annual snow fall was about 120 inches. From the time he was a small boy, Bentley was fascinated by the natural world around him. He loved to study butterflies, leaves, and spider webs. He kept a record of the weather conditions every day and was fascinated by raindrops. Bentley developed an interest in snow crystals after he received a microscope for his fifteenth birthday. Four years later, in 1885, equipped with both his microscope and a camera, Bentley made the first successful photograph of a snowflake. He is also credited as being the man who discovered that no two snowflakes are alike.

Click below to watch a short, engaging movie about this fascinating man!

Below you can practice making a gazillion snowflakes without wasting paper or making a mess! Make a mistake? No problem; just click the "go back" button to undo your mistake or start all over! Like your work and want to keep it? Cool! You can download your design, print it and keep it! This site is SNOW much fun!