Fun Weather Science Experiments
Does your child stare at the sky and wonder about the clouds? Teach your child about the weather with these fun science experiments from the best schools in Orlando. Your child will learn all about temperature shifts, weather patterns, cloud types, and high winds.
Barometer Project
By making a barometer, your child can learn more about air pressure and how it affects the weather.
What You’ll Need:
Large balloon
Drinking straw
Scissors
School glue
Sheet of cardstock
Markers
Short wide mouth jar
Directions:
Cut the neck of the balloon off and stretch it over the mouth of the jar.
Using card stock, cut a strip that is an inch wide. Then, cut an arrow shape.
Insert the end of the straw to the end of the arrow.
Glue the other end of the straw onto the balloon. The arrow will be facing you. Hold it there for a minute so the glue sets.
Draw a line on the cardstock and write “high” and “low” above and below it. Set the card against the wall, with your barometer in front of it.
To show the current pressure, make a mark in a different color where the arrow point is. Check barometer and mark where the arrow points to compare pressure changes.
Make a Thunderstorm
Want to show your child how a thunderstorm forms? You can do so right in your kitchen! It sounds complicated, but we promise it takes just a few ingredients and steps.
What You’ll Need:
Ice cube tray
Water
Clear plastic storage bin
Liquid food coloring
The Process:
You’ll start by making blue ice by adding blue food coloring to the water and freezing it.
When the blue ice freezes, fill the plastic shoebox with lukewarm water. Be careful to make the water not too hot or cold or else it will be discolored.
Have your child add three drops of red food coloring on one side of the shoe box, then add two ice cubes on the other side.
The Results:
The food coloring will disperse into the water while the ice melts slowly, which releases extremely cold blue water that chills the surrounding water in the container. When they meet, you can see the cold blue water pushing the warmer red water upwards. At the very point where the colors meet, the blue is forcing the red up, which is unstable air that results in a thunderstorm!
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