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Cloud photos, cloud types diagram, & companion art project
Cotton-balls from God
If holiday anticipation is getting to be too much how about a reprieve from all that holiday preparation!
I saw these awesome clouds in the sky yesterday and it prompted me to learn a little bit about cloud types. I found this nice site about clouds promoting a book called The Cloud Collector’s Handbook. What a cool hobby – collect clouds – they don’t cost money OR take up any space! They have a really great image of a sky showing all the cloud types, illustrating their shapes and elevations, see below!
Cloud Types (The Cloud Appreciation Society); click on image to go to their site!
My clouds appear to be an Altocumulus – cool! To me they look like cotton-balls arranged by God. Here are a couple more pictures of different areas of the same amazing sky. It doesn’t appear that the Cupola Crows are home to enjoy there superior view of the sky.
Altocumulus
Striped Clouds
Watercolor and wax-resistance painting
Sky (watercolor and wax on card-stock)
In the spirit of learn-by-doing, how about a small art project to reinforce your new cloud knowledge!
What you need…
- Watercolors
- Card-stock
- White and gray crayons and/or clear candle wax
Instructions…
- Draw cloud shapes with white crayon or candle wax (I found candle wax had a little better resistance than the crayon); don’t forget to try different cloud shapes! Also add gray crayon for the Nimbostratus (rain) clouds!
- Mix up lots of watery blue sky color and paint over your clouds – it’s like magic! You can also try some dramatic sunset colors for the sky – yellow and red or pink. And that’s it!
Tips
- If your light source is in front of you it will be easier to see where you are drawing your clouds.
- Press firmly when drawing the cloud for optimal resistance to the paint
For more on Weather Check-out Pragmatic Mom’s The Science of Weather post. It is comprehensive but also very easy to understand!
This post is linked up at Living at the Whiteheads Zoo‘s Weather Blog Hop. Check it out for lots of great weather related activity links!
A beautiful photograph! And another great project!
I’m not sure this happened this way for you, but this post reminds of me of the days where a project or idea just sort of falls into my lap. Out of the sky, in this case.
Literally!!! Thanks Tiffanie!
I love this activity! Teaching about clouds was one of my favorite units when I taught second grade.
Cool, thanks! sometimes I see clouds and they are so exaggerated that I think – if you painted them that want people would think you made them up!
This is such a great post for 5th graders! In Newton, they are all studying clouds as part of extensive and complicated weather unit.
They all do a poster on clouds and you have perfect images!
I have a post on what they need to learn for this unit here: http://www.pragmaticmom.com/?p=22024 but my cloud info is not as good as yours! Thanks!
Thanks- visually beautiful and effective info design on that cloud diagram – wish I created it! Enjoyed your weather post – learned some interesting things! Wish I was in fifth grade again – well maybe not!
ALWAYS SO INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE BUT BEST OF ALL YOU ALWAYS REMIND US OF THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE LIKE ENJOYING AND COLLECTING CLOUDS
Great!
Thanks and thanks for dropping by!