What a time this has been to study the weather! Mother Nature has provided us with a variety of examples. The girls started learning about this topic by making their own thermometers. Though the thermometers were not calibrated to provide a numeric reading, the girls took them outside into the cold air and observed that the liquid moved down lower in the straw as it cooled.
They did experiments to show that hot water rises while cold water sinks and they were able to apply these principles to the movement of air, as well.
The small jar was filled with red-colored hot water and was gently lowered into the larger tub containing cold water.
To observe the cold water sinking, the girls watched a blue ice cube as it melted in a tub of room-temperature water.
The girls discovered that wind is caused by masses of warm air rising while the cold air moves in to take its place. To determine the direction the wind was blowing from, they made wind vanes. Then they used their creativity and engineering skills to design original wind socks.
Testing the wind socks, both inside and outside the classroom was almost a much fun as creating them!
