Weather is the state of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, clearness or cloudiness, wetness or dryness, calm or storm. It is atmospheric conditions at a given time and place, accounting for variables such as temperature, precipitation, wind velocity, and air pressure.
Icebreaker: Weather Report
· Have the kids observe the weather outside and share their findings with the group.
Read Aloud: Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons
Presentation Outline:
· Sun
· Wind
· Clouds
o Fog
· Rain
o Rainbows
o Thunder
o Lightning
· Snow
Activity: Experiments
Sun: Explain that when the white light of the sun is filtered by our atmosphere it scatters into every color of the spectrum and every possible wavelength. Our atmosphere produces a blue sky.
· The objective of this experiment is to show why the sky is blue on sunny days.
o Fill an empty clear 2-liter bottle three quarters full of water. Prop up a flashlight to shine through the side of the bottle. Add a teaspoon of milk to the water in the bottle. Put the cap on the bottle and shake it to mix the water and milk together.
o The light shining through the bottle will turn blue.
o Just like in the sky, the light will turn blue because the mixture scatters more of the blue wavelength than any other color.
· Discuss the sun.
Wind: Explain that wind is air in motion. It is produced when the earth is heated unevenly by the sun.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how tornados are created in certain wind conditions.
o Fill an empty clear 2-liter bottle two thirds full of water. Take a second empty clear 2-liter bottle and duct tape the openings of the bottles together. Position the bottles so the bottle full of water is on top and swirl the bottles around in a circular motion.
o A tornado will form in the top bottle as water rushes into the bottom bottle.
o Just like during a tornado, a swirling motion will create a vortex.
· Discuss wind.
Clouds: Explain that a cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water that are so small and light that they can float in the air. They are produced when water vapor condenses into billions of tiny water droplets.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how clouds are formed.
o Fill an empty clear 2-liter bottle one third full of warm water. Drop a lit match into the bottle. Quickly put the cap on the bottle, trapping the smoke inside. Take the cap off the bottle and gently squeeze the bottle.
o A cloud will appear after the bottle is squeezed and released.
o Just like on a cloudy day, when water vapor and particles in the air are present at the same time that a drop in air pressure occurs, a cloud will form.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how fog develops.
o Fill a glass jar completely full of very hot water and let sit for about a minute. Pour out almost all the water, leaving only about an inch of water in the jar. Place a strainer over the top of the jar and place a few ice cubes in the strainer.
o Fog will develop in the air.
o Just like on a foggy day, when a mass of cold air collides with a mass of warm humid air, millions of tiny droplets of water are formed called fog.
· Discuss clouds and fog.
Rain: Explain that rain consists of water droplets. It is produced when the water vapor in the air gets too heavy and falls to the ground because of gravity.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how raindrops are made.
o Fill an empty glass jar two inches full of very hot water. Cover the jar with a plate and let sit for a few minutes. Place ice cubes on top of the plate.
o Water droplets will appear inside the jar.
o Just like when it rains, cold temperatures cause the moisture in the warm air to condense and form water droplets.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how rainbows are generated.
o Fill an empty glass completely full of water. Position the glass so that it overhangs the edge of a table. Make sure the sun can shine through the glass. Place a white sheet of paper on the floor.
o A rainbow will appear on the paper.
o Just like when a rainbow appears, light is fragmented into the colors of the electromagnetic spectrum when it passes through water.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how thunder is caused.
o Blow into a brown paper bag until it is full of air. Twist the open end of the bag until it is closed. Quickly hit the bag and the bag will break.
o A loud sound will be emitted when the bag bursts open.
o Just like when thunder is heard, compressed air rushes out and moves forward in a wave, creating a sound when it reaches a person’s ear.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how lightning is triggered.
o Turn off all the lights in the room. Rub an inflated balloon on hair or clothing for several seconds. Hold the statically charged balloon near the end of a fluorescent light bulb.
o This will illuminate the bulb.
o Just like when lightning strikes, when negative charges and positive charges meet they will react in a spark.
· Discuss rain, rainbows, thunder, and lightning.
Snow: Explain that snowflakes are made of ice crystals. They are produced when water vapor changes directly to ice without first becoming a liquid.
· The objective of this experiment is to show how snow is produced.
o Fill an empty metal can two thirds full of crushed ice. Place the can on top of a piece of paper that has been dampened with a teaspoon of water. Fill the rest of the can with salt. Mix the ice and salt together.
o Frost will appear on the outside of the can.
o Just like when it snows, low temperatures make water vapor freeze and form frost.
· Discuss snow.
Quiz: What is Weather?
1. The _______ is made up of temperature, air pressure, how much moisture is the air and how fast the wind is moving. (weather)
2. The position of the sun is what causes the ___________ to change. (temperature)
3. ___ ________ is the force produced by the weight of the air pressing down on the earth. (air pressure)
4. Wind is ___ in motion. (air)
5. ____ blows in different speeds and directions; gusty, breezy, windy, gale, hurricane and tornado. (wind)
6. The amount of moisture in the air is called ________. (humidity)
7. There are three types of ______ called stratus, cirrus, and cumulus. (clouds)
8. A cloud close to the earth’s surface is called ___. (fog)
9. ____ comes down in different ways; drizzle, shower, rain and rainstorm. (rain)
10. When sunbeams shine through drops of rain ________ appear. (rainbows)
11. Storms can be accompanied by both _______ and _________. (thunder, lightning)
12. ____ falls to the ground in different ways; flurries, sleet, snow, snowstorm and blizzard. (snow)
Craft: Weather Wheels
Have kids make a weather wheel to give a graphic representation of the weather conditions on any given day.
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