Before you start your observation experiments, learn about the types of clouds that appear in the sky.

		Cumulus Like all clouds, cumulus clouds are made of tiny droplets of water. They are tall and puffy. Some can look like towers. Some can look like cauliflower. When sunlight hits these clouds, they look bright white.
		Stratus In stratus clouds, water droplets collect into flat shapes like pancakes. The "pancakes" can be thick or thin. They can stack up like the layers in a cake. But they are not round like cakes — the edges can take on different shapes.
		Cirrus In cirrus clouds, water droplets collect to form thin curves with no clear shape. They look like curls of hair or string. You can see a lot of sky through the holes in these clouds. Cirrus clouds are found high in the sky (at about 18,000 feet or above). At this height, most of the water droplets in clouds turn to tiny pieces of ice.
		Cumulonimbus The cumulonimbus clouds can't hold all their water droplets. When droplets join together, they form bigger drops. These drops can become so heavy that they fall as rain, snow, or hail. These clouds look tall, puffy, and gray. They may bring thunder and lightning.

There are really more than four types of clouds, many more! The four categories listed here are the basis for classifying them all. These names can be combined with each other or with prefixes and suffixes to form at least 10 different cloud types.

Step 2: Observe and Record