Dear children! Today you had to stay at home because of the ice on the road and sidewalks.
Rain falls from the sky. Sometimes the air close to the ground is very cold. When rain hits the ground, it freezes into ice. Rain that freezes is called freezing rain.
Freezing rain makes ice on roads. Icy roads can be dangerous. Cars can slip and slide. Cars might have trouble stopping. Ice on roads can make cars crash into each other.
Freezing rain makes ice on sidewalks. People can slip and slide on an icy sidewalk. Sometimes people fall and get hurt.
Sand makes ice less slippery. People put sand on icy roads and sidewalks. Sand helps to keep people and cars from slipping and sliding.
Salt makes ice melt. People put salt on icy roads and sidewalks to melt the ice.
Freezing rain makes ice on trees. Ice makes tree branches heavy. Lots of ice can make a tree branch break and fall. Falling branches can be dangerous. They can hurt people. Falling branches can also damage cars and houses.
Sometimes freezing rain makes ice on outdoor skating rinks. That makes skaters happy. Skaters need slippery ice to skate on.
Be healthy and take care of yourself!