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DIY Weather Instruments for Kids

This document provides instructions for creating simple DIY weather instruments using common household items, including: 1) A homemade thermometer using a bottle, water, alcohol, and food coloring to indicate temperature changes as the liquid rises and falls. 2) A rain gauge made from a jar and masking tape to measure rainfall by marking measurement levels on the tape. 3) A barometer made from a balloon-covered jar, straw, and index card to track air pressure changes and predict weather patterns. 4) An anemometer with a weighted pencil base and paper cups to measure wind speed by counting cup rotations. 5) A wind vane made from paper plates, rocks, and a straw

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Dahlia Mesias
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55 views1 page

DIY Weather Instruments for Kids

This document provides instructions for creating simple DIY weather instruments using common household items, including: 1) A homemade thermometer using a bottle, water, alcohol, and food coloring to indicate temperature changes as the liquid rises and falls. 2) A rain gauge made from a jar and masking tape to measure rainfall by marking measurement levels on the tape. 3) A barometer made from a balloon-covered jar, straw, and index card to track air pressure changes and predict weather patterns. 4) An anemometer with a weighted pencil base and paper cups to measure wind speed by counting cup rotations. 5) A wind vane made from paper plates, rocks, and a straw

Uploaded by

Dahlia Mesias
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

DIY Weather Instruments

Thermometer
Fill a one-liter clear bottle with 8 oz. of water and 8 oz. of rubbing alcohol. Mix in a few drops
of food coloring. Seal the neck with clay. Push a straw through the clay and mold it to hold the
straw in place just above the water level. Try warming and cooling your thermometer to see
the liquid rise and fall. Check current temperatures and mark water level and degrees to give
your thermometer a scale that corresponds to real thermometer readings.

Rain Gauge
Affix a piece of masking tape from the upper rim to the base of a clear, straight edge jar. Use a
ruler to mark off measures in quarter-inches or centimeters on the tape. Set the jar outside
and wait for it to rain. After a storm, check your rain gauge to see how many inches of rainfall
you received.

Barometer
Stretch a rubber balloon over the opening of a clear quart jar and secure it with several rubber
bands, being careful not to tear or puncture the balloon. Tape a toothpick pointer to the end
of a straw or chopstick and tape the chopstick perpendicular to the jar from the center of the
balloon cover. Write high on the top of an index card and low at the bottom. Set the jar on a
shelf or window sill next to a beam, post or frame where you can affix the card so that the
toothpick pointer points to the halfway point. Check the barometer daily to see the needle rise
for good weather predictions and fall for stormy predictions Compare the barometer's
movement with the weather that develops in the next two to five days.

Anemometer
Insert a new pencil eraser end up into a ball of clay for a weighted base. Staple two equally-
sized wide strips of heavy cardboard in a cross shape. Staple a paper cup to the underside of
each cross arm, making sure the opening of the cups opposite each other face in opposite
directions. If you make one of the cups a different color, it will help you keep track of rotations
when calculating wind speed. Poke a large push pin through the center of the cardboard cross
and into the pencil eraser. Check to be sure it spins freely. Set it outside and watch the speed
of rotation to determine wind speed.

Wind Vane
Fill a heavy paper plate with small rocks or other weights. Invert another paper plate on top
and tape or glue the edges together to make a base stand. Mark north, south, east and west
on the top plate. Insert a new pencil into the center of the base, eraser end up. Attach paper
arrows to either end of a drinking straw. Push a straight pin through the straw's center point
and into the pencil eraser. Set the wind vane in a safe place outdoors with the north marking
facing north. Watch the movement for signs of wind direction.

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