Weather Investigation Box

Prop Box: 

I designed this prop-box on weather for students who are in 2nd or 3rd grade. I included eight books, several activities, as well as additional investigation materials I would use. Weather is such a fascinating and mind-boggling topic that there is so much you can include about it. I chose activities that were tied to content that children would be learning about around these grade levels and allowed students to be engaged in an experience that involved weather.

 Books: 

The books that I included in my prop box include general books on weather, stormy weather books, and a cloud book. I chose to put books from various reading levels into the collection because some of the more advanced books still have great pictures that children can read through, but I also wanted to include some books that the students to could actually read.

These three books, which have a great deal of great information and tons of interesting facts, may be too advanced for some readers. However, these books have some amazing pictures and students can enjoy looking through them and reading captions and graphics. These books are: 

-Stormy Weather by: Big Science (an oversized book with information on general weather and wild weather as well as suggestions for weather experiments)

-Weather by: David Ellyard (a chapter book that has everything a young learner needs to know about weather....and more! It discusses weather forecasting, climate and daily weather with amazing diagrams and detailed, labeled pictures)

-The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane By: Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen (a book that describes what happens in the hurricane by telling the story of Ms.Frizzles class taking a field trip inside of one)

These two books, on a more readable level, are:

-Clouds by: Maryellen Gregoire (a book that describes the different types of clouds, has cloud vocabulary, and describes the water cycle and cloud formation)
-Stormy Weather by: Natalie Lunis (a book that describes thunderstorms, hurricanes, blizzards, and tornadoes with captions, facts and definitions)

These three books all have to do with general weather information, the changing of weather and give definitions of different weather terms. These three would be readable for students on a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level:

-Discover Weather by: Barbara Brannon
-What's the Weather Today? by: Allan Fowler
-Weather Watching by: Heather Hammonds

Activities:

Weather Reporter Station:
This portion of the center can be done daily and gives each student the opportunity to be classroom weather reporters. As suggested, having this prop box nearby a window will allow for an easier set up of this activity. Set up a station by a window with a stick-on window thermometer, binoculars, and a cloud type reference sheet. Students will be asked to fill out the provided Weather Record Sheet that asks for: A weather drawing, a weather description, a cloud drawing  and type, the temperature and a clothing suggestion/ drawing. An added piece to this station would be to add the daily report from the newspaper so that students could compare the accuracy of their reports.

Sky Watch Activity:
This activity can take place at the Weather Reporter Station or any other window. All students need for this activity is a transparency or sheet protector, tape and dry erase markers. Students will tape a transparency to a window where they see a cloud. They will then trace the cloud with a dry erase marker and label the cloud type. If the cloud is moving quickly they can stay and watch how the cloud moves, or on a slower moving day, children can come back periodically to see how their cloud has changed or moved.

Weather Drawings:

For this activity students will need a CD player, iPad, iPod or any other music playing device, headphones, weather sound music tracks and paper and drawing/paint materials. Students will choose a weather track and listen to the sounds that they hear and then draw what they think the scene they are hearing would look like. This is a great way for children to connect their hearing and seeing senses. They can then write a description of the weather in their  scene.

Weather Collage Activity:

For this activity students will be asked to make a collage comparing different types of weathger. Students will be given collage making materials and nature magazines such as National Geographic to make their collages. They can cut pictures out of these magazines, then sort and glue them onto their collages. If computers are available students could also make a digital collage.

"What Can Wind Do?" Activity:

Give students a small desk fan and light or small objects that may or may not be able to be moved by the fan. In my prop box I included: a piece of paper, paper clips, a cotton ball, a notecard, a pencil and a tissue. Have your students predict and then test what will happen when each of the materials are placed in front of the fan. Students should test different settings on the fan and record findings such as which material flew the farthest, which went the highest, which materials did not fly, etc.

Weather Maps:

Students will use their mapping skills as well and gain knowledge about how weather is different across the country by creating their own weather forecast maps on cookie sheets. For this activity provide students with a cookie sheet with a blank United States map on it, magnetic weather symbols, magnetic temperature squares and weather forecast maps from different dates. I found mine at, NOAA. These were helpful because not only did they have a key for the weather in each area, but there was also a written description. I also included a temperature map. Have students use these weather forecasts to place the weather symbols and temperature squares across the country to make their own pictoral weather forecast map. For older students or a greater challenge, weather reports from the same date could be placed in an envelope and students could use these to create their maps. 

United States Map Cookie Sheet

Forecast Maps and Magnetic Weather Symbols

Weather Charades:
Include an envelope of notecards with different types of weather on them. One student can act out the weather and the other student must guess what it is.

Cloud Memory Game:
Have students play memory with cards that have different types of clouds on them. For a more basic game, include duplicate pictures of the clouds labeled with their cloud type. For a more advanced game, include two different pictures of clouds that are the same type, without a label, and have students, match the cards by their knowledge of cloud types.

Cloud Cards

Cloud Memory Game

Additional Investigation Items:

I would also include this list of items for students to explore with. I would label each item and give a brief description about what the item is used for and how it is used.

 Weather Tools:





   Rain Gauge

Barometer                                                       

Compass   

Wind Gauge

Other:

Prisms

Tornado in a Bottle

Additional Resources: 

1. Weather Channel Kids- This site is by The Weather Channel and offers an online interactive experience for children. It has weather games and video clips. Children can also search for their weather forecast in a kid-friendly way. This site also has resources for parents and teachers.

2. Scholastic Weather- This link brings you to an interactive weather maker through the Scholastic website. This would be a great activity to include as part of this center rotation.

3.Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids- Children can learn about the Farmer's Almanac and what it is used for. They can also search a date and see what the weather was like on that date.

4. Tree House Weather Kids- This website by University of Illinois is set up to look like a weather station set up in a tree house. Children can learn about seasons and temperature, air pressure and wind, and clouds and moisture. There is also a section called "Rock and Roll Weather" where students can watch videos about weather. 

*All pictures were either taken by me or taken from Google Images

My Favorite Science Books

The Moon Seems to Change

by: Franklyn M. Branley

"Because the moon revolves around Earth, it seems to grow and shrink. Children can read about the phenomena of the moon’s phases and with an experiment using an orange, a pencil, and a flashlight, they can see why the moon looks different at different times of the month. ‘A welcome addition to science collections for young children.’ "—SLJ Amazon Customer

Hummingbirds, Tiny but Mighty 

by: Julianne Gehman

"Hummingbirds...Tiny But Mighty by Judy Gehman provides teachers with an opportunity to use nonfiction as a read aloud or to teach students how to write from a different point of view - that of a hummingbird. The book includes extra features - fact pages on hummingbirds and a wonderful author's note that reveals how Mrs. Gehman came up with the idea for her book. Study author's craft - use of metaphor, onomatopoeia, proper nouns for specificity, wrap around ending, and writing through a mask - with this beautifully illustrated picture book on one of nature's most fascinating creatures." -Amazon 

Great Migrations 

by: K.M. Kostyal 

This National Geographic book is based on the film about migration done by National Geographic. Stunning photographs and graphics chronicle the migrations of several animals and insects from around the world. With lots of interesting facts that I even found fascinating, this book would  be great for older learners (Grades 3+) who are learning about migration and animal adaptations. 

What's for Dinner?: Quirky, Squirmy Poems from the Animal World

by: Katherine B. Hauth 

A poetry book with lots of intriguingly yucky pictures, this book's poems will tell you more than you may have wanted to know about what different animals eat. Many different types of poems are showcased, each focusing on animals' diets. There are poems about what particular animals eat, but also poems that touch on aspects of animal diet like the food chain. This book would be excellent for a unit about what different animals eat, how they find their food, and why they eat the foods they do. A lot of investigation could come from these short poems. In case you want more information about the animals in the book, there is a section in the back of the book that gives more in-depth information about each of the poems. 

Scoot! 

by: Cathryn Falwell 

This book, told primarily through movement words, shows the life and movements of animals in a pond. Animals are told to "Scoot," "Leap," "Scamper" and many other actions based on how that animal moves. This book would help students learn about how different animals move and interact with one another in an environment. This book can also teach about pond environments and the many animals that live in ponds. 

UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings

by: Douglas Florian 

"Come inside the honeycomb—a busy, buzzy, bee-filled home—and learn about the unexpected wonders of these tiny insects’ lifestyles, families, and communities. In fourteen funny, fact-filled honeybee poems and paintings, Douglas Florian explores the natural history of these often-unappreciated critters, revealing them to be a totally cool—and totally important—part of our ecosystem. Indeed, these buzzy bugs have been in the spotlight lately as wild bee populations are dwindling, honey prices are rising, and beekeeping has become a popular hobby." -Amazon 

ABC ZooBorns! 

by: Andrew Bleiman

This alphabet book, great for younger students,  will have anyone saying, "Awwwww!" Each letter of the alphabet corresponds with a type of animal. And the best part? An adorable picture of the newborn animal! This book isn't just cute, though, each animal's page has an interesting fact about that animal. This book is a great way to teach that animals have offspring and that the offspring often look different when they are born and then grow to look like the animals that we recognize. 

Fabulous Fishes

by: Susan Stockdale 

This rhyming book has great information about both common and unusual fish. It's vivid pictures are appealing to younger students K-2, who would be intrigued by the many fish that live in our world. The back of the book will help you answer some of these questions as it has additional information about each of the fish. This would be a great addition to a unit on Oceans or bodies of water. 

Planting a Rainbow 

by: Lois Ehlert

This colorful book teaches about planting flowers in a very kid-friendly way. The pictures show what the flowers look like from under the soil and also talk about the conditions needed for plants to grow. I would use this book to start teaching about plants, how they grow, and what they need to survive. I would also use this as a kick-off to any unit that I had students plant classroom plants. 

Tornado! 

by: Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin

This book about tornadoes makes the reader feel like they are up close and personal with a tornado or its destruction with such vivid pictures. The scrapbook style of this book is very appealing and eye catching. The book includes true stories of tornadoes, tornado facts and records and information on the predicting of tornadoes.

*All pictures were taken from Amazon Books or Google Images

Great Science Websites and Blogs

Science Kids

This website is meant for science kids around the world! It can answer science questions about almost any topic, from animals to biology to weather. There are tons of great science games, as well as experiments.

TryScience.org

This website has something for everyone; it's great for children, parents and teachers. Parents can find nearby science centers and learn about how to be involved in their child's science education. The teachers' section has resources, professional development links, as well as information on how to use this site in the classroom. And let's not forget the kiddos! The main page has experiments, virtual field trips and live cams of zoos and museums!  

Bill Nye

A celebrity for children and educators alike, this link will bring you to Bill Nye the Science Guy's very own blog! Not only will you find his thoughts on science related news and topics, but you will find links to videos and articles. Teachers can also use this site for its Episode Guides and Home Demos.

Kids.gov-Science

This is the United States Government's official educational website for kids. This website is easily accessible for children in grades K-5. After clicking into a topic from Inventors to Life, students will find a list of links to learn more. A particular favorite is the 'Science Jobs' topic, which lists many different jobs that young scientists can become interested in. 

NASA Kid's Club

NASA created a place for young astronauts to learn and explore online. On this site, children can learn about current and past space expeditions, view space pictures, and play space games. This website also offers tips for parents and teachers.

ZOOMsci

This website from PBS kids has experiments FOR students BY students. When you enter this site you will see a list of science experiments and activities under categories such as Engineering and Chemistry. All of these experiments were submitted by students or classes and list everything you need to know to do the experiment. You can even send in your own experiments!

Dr.Bob's Interesting Science Stuff

This award wining website run by "Dr. Bob" a chemist and director of a Sylvan Learning Center, is an interactive place where children can have their science questions answered. There are experiments, fascinating links, and even a place to ask Dr. Bob science questions that he will answer on the site.

Science Fix

This 17-year Science teacher's blog was voted "Best for Super Science Ideas" by Scholastic.com. Intended for older students, this blog has tons of great experiment tutorials and videos. Lessons range from "The Importance of Hand-washing" to  "What Causes the Phases of the Moon". These videos are great to show a class or to replicate in your own classroom or at home.

Steve Spangler's Blog

Steve Spangler is best known for bringing us the famous Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment. His great experiments don't stop here, though; this website is full of videos of awesome science experiments. On this site you can also subscribe to receive "Experiment of the Week" emails.

Little Miss Hypothesis

Brought to you by "Little Miss Kindergarten" a.k.a. Mrs Coe, this blog is not only adorably inviting but  also has a wealth of great science lessons for the classroom, especially for younger children. She posts pictures from here science lessons, printables and science books that go along with the lessons.

*All images were taken from Google Images

Interesting (and educational!) Science Experiments and Lessons

 Pollination with Cheetos 

Children learn about pollination in an edible way! Give students a paper bag with a white paper flower glued on it with Cheetos inside. Give each child a bee finger puppet to use while eating their Cheetos. Make sure students keep all of the Cheetos dust on their  fingers without licking it off. Then have your kiddos "fly" to another child's bag and "pollinate" him/her with Cheetos dust.

Cloud Jars     

Children learn about clouds and precipitation by creating their own cloud in  jar! Add shaving cream "cloud" to a jar of water and then have children add food coloring droplets to the "cloud." Have your children observe the color droplets falling through from the clouds. Kids could collect data about their observations, such as the amount of droplets it took of each color for it to seep through the cloud or the amount of time it took. You can even create "table top clouds" by flipping their cups and observing the different colors in the clouds.

Magnetic Strip Picture

Children investigate magnetism with this Iron Swipe Card experiment. Sprinkle iron filings on the magnetic strip of an old swipe card and watch the filings fall into place! Tap it again for another picture!

Plant Maze

Teach your kiddos about plant's needs by showing them that plants will grow toward light. Create a plant maze inside a shoe box, close it up and observe over the plant over the next few days. You will see your plant navigate through the maze to get to the light!

Boiled or Raw?

This is a gravity lesson wrapped up in a magic trick. Have your children impress family and friends by being able to tell whether or not an egg is raw or boiled. After chilling both eggs to the same temperature, spin both of the eggs on their side on a hard surface. One will spin and stand up straight, while the other will have difficulty even spinning.  The hardboiled egg has an easier time spinning because it does not have liquid inside, like raw egg, to change the eggs center of gravity. 

                                                                    

Oil Spill Clean-Up Crew

Oil spills have been a recent catastrophe to our oceans and students will learn about the difficulty of cleaning up these oil spills through this investigation. Pour vegetable oil into water and have children make predictions about which of the materials you have (gauze, spoon, cheese cloth etc.) will clean up the spill the best. Then, let them be the oil spill clean up crew by exploring which of these materials cleans up the oil spill most effectively.      

Build Your Own Solar Oven

Harness the power of the sun in a delicious way! Children can learn about solar energy with this delicious project. This link will show you a video about how to turn a pizza box into a solar oven with household materials. Reward your hardworking engineers with  Mini-Pizzas or S'mores on your new, outdoor oven. 

                                                                

Try to Make an Ant Get Lost

Your learners will get a chance to use their investigation skills as they build an ant maze and observe whether or not an ant can make it through. Start by finding a source of ants and then set your bait. Next, set up a series of obstacles that your ant has to get through to get to the bait. Encourage your children to analyze the ants behaviors by asking questions like, "Why did he just turn around?"

                                                        

                                                        

Liquid Density Test

Help children learn about density with this mind-bending density experiment. First, teach about liquid density by pouring colored liquids with different densities into a jar and watching them separate. Have students predict which liquids they think will be the least or most dense. Next, learn and make predictions about the density of small objects by letting them take a dive into your layered liquid pond and see which level they sink to and float in. 

                                                

Ear Guitar

Teach sound waves to your budding musicians by having them create ear guitars. This simple project, based on the old fashioned tin-can phone, helps students learn about the vibrations of sound waves. This link also has a great explanation of sound waves.