The Weather! A Fun Science Project
The weather is an amazing phenomenon that can dictate what we'll do in our day. Rainy days often force us to stay indoors or carry around umbrellas. Sunny days mean we can play or go to the beach. Snow days allow us a day off school and we can tumble around and make snow angels and snow men. With all the different kinds of weather, there are so many different things to study! Did you know that you can create a fun science project that is dependent on weather? After a quick review of what we know about the weather and clouds, you can find out how!
If we look outside right now, we can make a prediction of whether or not the weather is good depending on what kinds of clouds we see. If there are no clouds in the sky, and all we see is sun this usually means that it will be a sunny day, and it is likely to be warm or hot. Cirrus clouds, which are wispy or thin looking clouds usually mean you will also have a good day, as these clouds often come with blue skies, and a lot of sunshine. Cumulus clouds are the classic clouds we know. They are the puffy white clouds that can come with a lot of sun and blue sky, but it can also come with a nimbus cloud, or a dark rain cloud behind it. So depending on all the clouds in the sky can you make your judgment as to whether or not your cumulus clouds bring good weather. Stratus clouds are like a mix between cumulus and cirrus. Mostly they lie low, look wispy and block the sun, but they don't bring rain unless a nimbus cloud is in the area.
While knowledge on clouds is important, and can make for a fun science project, there are other types of weather clues that will tell you if you will have good weather or not. The direction of the wind can sometimes tell you if you have good or bad weather coming. In many countries, they've learned to tell whether or not wind coming from certain directions will bring monsoon rains or just steady and gentle breezes. Remember that there are many types of weather conditions, like blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms. For a fun science project, look up all these different types of weather, and make specialized kits designed to protect you from each one!
Cool wind can predict the coming of rain, while a hot or humid breeze can tell you that you're in for a very warm day. Apart from that, temperature is a good measure of pleasant or unpleasant weather. In the projects section, we will discuss how to make our own thermometers. Thermometers are instruments designed to measure how hot something is. You may have seen one in your mom's room. It's what she uses to test to see if you have a fever. There are also kitchen thermometers which test to see how hot the food is. While there are also specialized thermometers for the weather, making a basic thermometer can show us how temperature can affect the weather. It's a fun science project that's really easy!
