Make a Weather Station
This is one of the science fair projects for elementary students that you can do this all by yourself, but if you want you may ask for help!
You will need the following materials:
For the Rain Gauge
1 clear soda bottle (2 liter kind)
1 cutter
1 coloring pen
1 thick piece of wood about 1 square foot
1 glue gun
ruler
tape
For the Wind Vane
1 piece of cloth about ½ foot wide and 1 ½ feet long
1 stick about 4 feet tall (a broom handle will work)
string or thread
1 coloring pen
1 compass
4 flat rocks
Instructions:
For the rain guage, take the soda bottle, and cut it right where the contour begins to go straight down.
Take the bottle piece that goes straight down. Starting from the bottom, make one inch markings going up to the tip. You should have about five or more inches.
Take the other half of the soda bottle, and turn it upside down, placing it into the straight part of the bottle like a funnel. Tape this half to the top of the funnel so the funnel portion stays on top.
Using the glue gun, glue the bottle to your wood. Your wood serves as an anchor. Place your guage out in an open area.
Every time it rains, study what the sky looks like and make notes. Mark the day it rained and how much rain filled the bottle in inches (ex. 3 inches of rain fall) Over the course of time, you will be able to predict when it will rain a lot and when it will be very light rain that will clear up by just studying the sky.
For the wind vane, take your broom handle and choose a good section of your garden where it can stand. Dig a small hole around 1 foot deep, and stick your broom handle in there, making sure it is secure, and will not move with very strong winds.
Using your string or thread, tie your piece of cloth around the top of your broom handle securely, making sure that cloth will be able to move in all directions, depending on the wind. You can cut your cloth in a triangular shape if you like.
Using your compass, look for north, south, east, and west. Place the four flat stones around your stick and mark each one with its proper direction.
When the wind blows, you will be able to tell if it is blowing north, south, east, or west, depending on the direction that your cloth is pointing towards.
Being able to know the direction of the wind will help you determine whether or not good weather is coming, as wind trends usually foreshadow good or bad weather!
Concept Explanation:
Along with the thermometer project from the earlier level, these two instruments are the ience fair projects for elementary students that will help you predict the weather in your neighborhood. You will be able to make daily weather predictions. If you stick to it, and monitor the instruments in your home weather station everyday, you will be able to make better predictions over time, and for longer than just one day!
