Science Projects for Kids: Weather and Seasons

Can Frost is an easy science project that teaches kids about condensation. Frost forms because of a change in temperature.

What You'll Need:

Learn about Can Frost

Step 1: Fill a small metal can 1/4 of the way with water.

Step 2: Stir 4 tablespoons of salt into the water.

Step 3: Add enough crushed ice to fill the cup, and stir the solution.

Step 4: Observe what happens on the outside of the can.

Teach kids how to create a marine environment in a bottle with the science project called Bottled Sea: Catch a Wave. Read about it on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Bottled Sea: Catch a Wave is a science project that teaches kids how to make waves. Oil and water don't mix -- watch the waves build in this experiment.

What You'll Need:

Learn about Bottled Sea: Catch a WaveStep 1: Fill a plastic soda bottle about 2/3 of the way with water. Add blue food color to the water and swirl.

Step 2: Fill the remainder of the bottle with clear mineral oil. Fill it all the way so that no air remains when the bottle is capped.

Step 3: Set the bottle down horizontally, and you'll see a layer of oil on top with a layer of blue water underneath it. Tilt the bottle from side to side slowly, and watch the wave flow.

Step 4: Try tilting one side up before the wave reaches it to see the wave crash on shore and reverse directions.

Clock the Wind is a science project that teaches kids to build a device to measure wind speed. Get directions on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Clock the Wind is a science project that teaches kids how to build their very own device to measure wind speed. How fast is the wind blowing today? Make a wind-speed gauge that will tell you.

What You'll Need:

How to Make Clock the Wind

Step 1: Ask an adult to help you with this project. First, take two small, hollow balls and cut them in half. Nail the ball halves to the ends of two sticks with the cut sides facing outward as shown in the illustration. Paint one half ball a different color from the other three.

Step 2: Next, nail the two sticks together at right angles so they form an X. Make sure you join the two sticks at their exact centers, so the joined sticks will balance on the nail. Use a long nail so that the end of the nail comes through both sticks.

Step 3: Now make the base. Have an adult drill a hole in the end of a one-foot length of a wooden 2 x 4. The hole should be a bit larger than the nail that holds the two sticks together.

Step 4: Attach the 2 x 4 to a wooden base, and set the nail in the drilled hole. (Put a little wax or oil in the hole so the gauge will turn easily.)

Step 5: Now, put your wind-speed gauge in the wind. Count the number of times it turns around in 30 seconds. (Count by the painted half ball.) Write that number down and divide it by five. The answer is the wind speed in miles per hour.

Teach kids to make fog in a bottle with the Foggy Notions science project for kids. Read about it on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Foggy Notions is a science project that teaches kids about fog. Did you ever wonder what exactly fog is? This project will help clear up the mystery.

What You'll Need:

Learn About Foggy Notions:

Step 1: You've probably seen fog. That's because when fog is around, it's about all you can see. Well, fog is a cloud that forms very close to the ground.

Step 2: In nature, when a mass of cold air bumps into a mass of warm humid air, millions of tiny droplets of water are formed. That's fog.

Step 3: Here's a way to get some cold air and some warm air together and make fog: Fill a bottle 1/3 full of very hot water. Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol. Put a piece of ice over the top of the bottle and watch fog develop.

Blowing in the Wind is a science experiment for kids that measures the objects that are carried on air currents. Read about this science project on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Blowing in the Wind is a science project that teaches kids how to harness the power of the wind. The wind is sometimes like a bus or train. It picks up passengers from one place and transports them to another.

What You'll Need:

Learn About Blowing in the Wind:

Step 1: Get a piece of cardboard that is the size of a piece of notebook paper or larger. Make a small hole on one end of the cardboard, and tie a piece of string through the hole. Smear one side of the cardboard with vegetable oil or petroleum jelly.

Step 2: On a windy day, hang the cardboard from a tree using the string. Make sure the oily side of the cardboard is facing the wind. Leave the cardboard in the wind for an hour or more. Then go back and see what the wind has carried onto the cardboard. You may find seeds, insects, pollen, dust, or other tidbits of nature.

Step 3: Some plants (like the dandelion) use wind to help scatter their seeds far away. Sometimes the seeds can be carried for several miles or more! Small spiders can hang by their thread and let the wind blow them from spot to spot. What other ways can you think of to use wind?

So Much Pressure! is a science project that teaches kids to make their own barometer. Get directions for this science project on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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So Much Pressure! is a science project that teaches kids how to make their very own barometer. You and your kids can make a water barometer that will show you the changes in the air pressure.

What You'll Need:

Learn About So Much Pressure!

Step 1: First, stick a ruler into a lump of modeling clay. Then put the clay and ruler in the bottom of a bowl. (The ruler should be standing up straight.) Put about three inches of water into the bowl.

Step 2: Next get a narrow, clear plastic bottle. Fill it about 3/4 full of water. Cover the top of the bottle with your hand, turn it upside down, and put it into the bowl next to the ruler. Once the bottle top is under­water, you can take your hand away. With the bottle still standing upside down, tie the ruler to the bottle with string.

Step 3: Cut a strip of paper about four inches long. Make a scale on it by making a mark every 1/4 inch. Halfway down the strip, make a longer line to show the halfway mark. Tape this strip of paper to the bottle with the halfway mark at the same level as the water in the bottle.

Step 4: Now you have a water barometer. The water in the bottle will move up and down as the air pressure changes. As the air pressure in the room increases, it will push down on the water in the bowl, forcing water up into the bottle. Then you can see yourself that the air pressure is high. If the air pressure is low, the bowl's water will rise, the bottle's water will sink, and you'll get a lower pressure reading.

Testing the Air is a science project that teaches kids how to measure environmental pollutants. Learn how to prepare this science project on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Testing the Air is a science project that teaches kids to test air quality. How clean is the air around your home?

What You'll Need:

Learn How to Test the Air:

Step 1: With two simple tests, you can check the air for common pollutants. In the first test, measure how much dust, dirt, soot, and other floating material is in the air.

Step 2: To do this, cut two pieces of stiff cardboard into a four-inch square. Punch a hole on one corner of one piece and put a string through it for hanging. Coat both sides with petroleum jelly and hang the cardboard up under the eaves of your house.

Step 3: Coat one side of the second piece and lay it flat in the shade, also sheltered under the eaves of your house. Leave both pieces in place for a day.

Step 4: Examine both cardboard squares with a magnifying glass and see if you can count the number of small particles sticking to them. Which has more particles: the cardboard that was lying flat or the one hanging?

Step 5: To test for invisible gaseous pollutants, stretch three or four rubber bands over a piece of cardboard. Lay them in a shady place. Check the rubber bands each day. The faster they become brittle, the more pollutants there are in the air.

Step 6: Try both of these tests in two very different places to compare pollutant levels. You might try them in the middle of a city, then in a forest or in the country.

Learn how to make a Weather Station with your kids so that you can measure and predict the weather. Get directions for this science project on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Build a fully functional Weather Station with your kids, and then teach them how to use the instruments. Use your readings to track the weather. Then try to make predictions.

What You'll Need:

How to Make a Weather Station:

Step 1: In a ventilated area, paint the stake and peg board white using outdoor spray paint. Be sure to wear safety goggles and have an adult supervise.

Step 2: Nail the pegboard to the stake so the top of the board is one foot below the top of the stake. Use wire to fasten a thermometer and rain gauge to the pegboard.

Step 3: Fasten a weather vane or wind sock to the top of the stake. The north side of the wind vane's direction indicator should be on the same side as the thermometer.

Step 4: Find an open area with no overhanging trees or large buildings in the way. Have an adult help you dig a hole about 18 inches deep. Sink your stake into the bottom of it so that the side of the station with the thermometer is facing north. Then fill it back in and stomp the soil down firmly.

Step 5: Keep a weather notebook. Take readings of temperature, wind direction (and speed, if you made the wind sock), and rainfall daily.

Step 6: If you have a hygrometer and a barometer you can add readings of humidity and air pressure to your notebook. Compare your readings to those you see in the newspaper. See if you can predict the weather.

Weather Folktales are a great way for kids to combine science and creativity. Read about the Weather Folktales science project on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Weather Folktales are a science project for kids that combines science and creativity. See if you and your kids can determine which old beliefs are based on fact and which are pure fancy!

What You'll Need:

Learn About Weather Folktales:Step 1: Our ancestors didn't have television weather forecasters, satellite weather photos, or fancy instruments to predict the weather. They had to rely on signs from nature. Some old folklore predictions are highly accurate, while others are mere superstition.

Step 2: Read these folk sayings about the weather. Which ones do you think give accurate predictions?

Step 3: Make your own observations of these signs to find out, then record them in your notebook. Which do you think are more reliable: signs that rely on animals or signs that relate to the sky and clouds?

Stay Cool, Stay Warm is a science project that teaches kids how color and temperature are related. Learn this science project on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Stay Cool, Stay Warm is a science project that teaches kids the importance of temperature in the environment. You and your kids will learn that the way you dress can affect your personal environment.

What You'll Need:

Learn About Stay Cool, Stay Warm:

Step 1: Whether the weather is hot or cold, the colors you wear can affect your body temperature. Want to test the theory?

Step 2: Take two identical drinking glasses. Wrap one in black paper and tape it securely. Wrap the other in white paper and tape it in place.

Step 3: Now fill both glasses with lukewarm water and put them on a porch or picnic table. Allow the glasses to stand undisturbed in direct sunlight for about an hour.

Step 4: Now use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water inside each glass. Then decide which color of clothes will help you stay warm or cool. Odds are that your choice will be crystal clear.

All Kinds of Weather is a research science project that teaches kids about weather patterns all over the world. Get directions on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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All Kinds of Weather is a science project for kids that teaches children about weather around the world. The answers to all your kids' weather questions are as close as your library.

What You'll Need:

Learn About All Kinds of Weather:Step 1: Think of some weather questions you'd like to know the answers to. For example: Have you ever wondered what are the coldest, hottest, rainiest, and snowiest places on Earth?

Step 2: Have you wondered what causes tornadoes, thunder, or lightning? Check out some books about weather and find out. Discover your own fun weather facts, write them down, and share them with others.

Sunrise, Sunset is a science project that teaches kids how the earth moves in relation to the sun. Learn how to track these movements on the next page.

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Sunrise, Sunset is a science project for kids that teaches how daylight changes with the seasons. You and your kids will have to wake up early to keep track of where the sun rises and sets.

What You'll Need:

Learn About Sunrise, Sunset:

Step 1: Get up early one morning and watch the sun rise. You'll see it best in an open area, such as a beach, lake shore, or large, flat field. Notice where the sun rises in relation to fixed objects (such as hills or trees) near the horizon.

Step 2: Keep notes about this. (For example, you might write: "Sun rose just to the right of the big hill.") Make a diagram showing the eastern and western horizons. Mark where you saw the sun rise.

Step 3: The same day (or as soon as you can), go to the same place and watch the sun set. Again, notice where the sun sets in relation to hills or trees on the horizon. Mark the spot on your diagram.

Step 4: About three months later, repeat the activity. Notice where the sun rises and sets in relation to those same hills or trees. (Check your notes from last time.) Mark the spots on your diagram.

Has the sun moved? The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. It's really the Earth that has moved. As the Earth orbits the sun, it changes how much it tilts toward the sun. The result is that the sun rises and sets in different places on the horizon. Be careful not to look directly at the sun.

We've all heard of acid rain, but the next science project for kids demonstrates its effects dramatically. Read about Rain, Rain -- Go Away on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Rain, Rain -- Go Away is a science project that teaches kids about the effects of acid rain. Sometimes chemicals get in the air and mix with water to form "acid rain."

What You'll Need:

Learn about Rain, Rain -- Go Away:

Step 1: Put 1/4 cup of water in one of the jars. Ask an adult to cut two small squares of sod from your lawn or buy some sod at a nursery. Push one square of sod down into a jar so that the sod's soil is in the water.

Step 2: Then put 1/4 cup of vinegar in the other jar. Push the second square of sod down into the jar, so the soil is in the vinegar.

Step 3: Now place both jars in a warm, sunny place, and watch what happens over the next several days.

Step 4: Vinegar is an acid, like the acid in acid rain. Acid rain is a worldwide problem. It can be caused by smoke from factories, burning coal, and even car exhaust. In addition to harming plants, acid rain also pollutes bodies of water, kills fish, and destroys rocks and buildings!

Why is the sky blue? The science project for kids called Blue Skies uses visual aides to explain this natural phenomenon. Read about it on the next page of science projects for kids: weather and seasons.

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Blue Skies is a science project for kids that explains how light is refracted through our atmosphere. Teach your kids how waves of light color our world.

What You'll Need:

Learn About Blue Skies:

Step 1: Why is the sky blue? When the white light of the sun filters through our atmosphere, it scatters into every color of the rainbow and every possible wavelength. Our atmosphere makes it blue.

Step 2: This simple experiment will give you an idea of how that scattering works and why weather patterns can cause a colorful shift.

Step 3: Turn a flashlight on outside at night. Set the flashlight on a table so its beam shines in midair in front of you. Now sprinkle flour in front of the beam.

Step 4: You should see dozens of white flashes as each piece of flour or dust reflects light waves and sends the color signal straight to your eyes. That's how our atmosphere sends flashes of color to your eyes to make the sky seem so blue.

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ABOUT THE PROJECT DESIGNERS

Testing the Air by Maria Birmingham, Karen E. Bledsoe, and Kelly Milner Halls

Stay Cool, Stay Warm by Maria Birmingham, Karen E. Bledsoe, and Kelly Milner Halls

Blue Skies by Maria Birmingham, Karen E. Bledsoe, and Kelly Milner Halls