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