Directions for a Child Meteorologists Workstation

Directions for a Child Meteorologist's Workstation A home weather station can entertain your kids regardless of the season. Theyll also learn about weather patterns and the science behind sunny skies and rainy days. The more fun you make your home weather station activities, the more your kids will engross themselves in this fun learning activity. They wont even realize theyre learning as they tackle this science experiment for kids of all ages while the whole family gauges the weather together Rain Gauge No home weather station would be complete without a rain gauge. Your kids can measure everything from the amount of rain thats fallen to how much snow has accumulated. You can buy a rain gauge or its easy enough to make your own. Your most basic rain gauge is to simply put a jar outside, let it collect rain or snow and then stick a ruler inside to see how high the precipitation reaches. Barometer A barometer measures air pressure. Monitoring the changes in air pressure is one way to make predictions about the forecast. The most common barometers are Mercury Barometers or Aneroid Barometers.   Hygrometer A hygrometer measures the relative humidity in the air. Its an important tool in helping forecasters predict the weather. You can buy a hygrometer for about $5. Weather Vane Record the winds direction with a weather vane. The weather vane swivels when the wind blows to show you the direction the breeze is coming from so your kids can record it. Kids can also learn if the wind is blowing north, south, east or west with a weather vane in their home weather station. Anemometer While the weather vane measures the direction the wind is blowing, an anemometer measures the winds speed. Make your own anemometer with items you can find at a hardware store. Use your new anemometer with the weather vane to record wind direction and speed. Windsock A windsock is a more simple way to identify wind direction and speed as opposed to solely using a weather vane and anemometer. Its also fun for kids to watch the sock fly in the wind. Make your own windsock out of a shirt sleeve or pant leg. Your windsock can be flying in about an hour. Compass Even if your weather vane has the N, S, W and E points of direction, kids love holding a compass in their hands. A compass can help kids identify wind direction, which way the clouds are rolling in and can also teach kids how to navigate. Be sure the kids know the compass is for the weather station only. Compasses are an easy buy so if you think your compass will end up on a childs bike or in their backpack instead of staying with the weather station, pick up a few so you can always have one in place. Weather Journal A kids weather journal can have basic information within its pages or be as detailed as you want. Younger children can draw a picture of a sunshine and the letter to mark the winds direction. Older children can record the date, todays weather, wind speed, direction, humidity levels and make weather predictions based on their findings.