Weather watching activities for kids

Safety first

Stay with a grown-up and keep to safe places. Never look at the sun, not even for a moment, and not through glasses or a lens. Wear a hat, sit in shade when you can and drink water on bright days. If you hear thunder or see lightning, go indoors and stay in until a grown-up says it is fine. The grown-up decides, not the child. Scissors are for adults only, so a grown-up should cut the bottle and tape over rough edges. Stay away from roads, drains and deep or moving water. Age hints are only a guide.

1. Weather diary with drawn symbols

Age hint: 4 and up.

Bring: a notebook or folded paper, pencils, and a small list of symbols you invent together.

1. Agree on a symbol for each kind of weather you might see, such as a circle with rays for sunny, a wavy cloud for cloudy, drops for rain and a swirl for wind.
2. Once a day, at about the same time, step to a window, balcony or doorway and look at the sky.
3. Draw that day's symbols in a new box and add the date with help from your grown-up.
4. After a week, look at the whole page together.

Notice: Which symbol did you draw most, and which one did you draw least?

2. Shadow tracking with chalk

Age hint: 5 and up.

Bring: chalk, a toy or a sturdy stick, and a paved or concrete spot that gets sunlight.

1. Place the toy on the ground and use chalk to draw around its shadow. Write the time next to it.
2. Come back later and draw the new shadow in a different colour, with the time beside it.
3. Never look at the sun. Keep your eyes on the ground and the chalk lines, and wear a hat.
4. Compare the lines, then step on one and see where your own shadow falls.

Notice: Where did the shadow point each time, and was it longer or shorter? One idea to share is that the sun seems to travel across the sky, so shadows move too.

3. Cloud shape spotting

Age hint: 3 and up.

Bring: a mat or bench, and paper to draw on afterwards.

1. Sit or lie comfortably in a shady place with your grown-up.
2. Look at the clouds, never at the sun.
3. Take turns naming a shape you see, such as a fish, a mountain or a fluffy sheep.
4. Draw your favourite cloud, then look again after a few minutes.

Notice: Did your cloud keep its shape, or did it change into something else?

4. Bottle rain gauge

Age hint: 6 and up, with a grown-up doing the cutting.

Bring: a clean, empty plastic bottle with straight sides, a ruler, a permanent marker, tape and a heavy pot or bucket to stand it in.

1. Ask your grown-up to cut the top off the bottle with scissors and to cover any sharp edge with tape. Children should not use the scissors.
2. Use the ruler and marker to draw a scale of short lines up the side.
3. Stand the bottle in the pot or bucket in an open spot outdoors, away from a roof edge, so it cannot tip over.
4. After rain stops and it is safe, look at the water level and mark it in your diary, then empty the bottle.

Notice: Was it a little rain or a lot? This gauge is not exact, so use it to compare one rainy day with another.

5. Wind-watching streamer

Age hint: 3 and up.

Bring: a few strips of light cloth, ribbon or crepe paper, and a short blunt stick or a balcony rail.

1. Ask your grown-up to tie the strips to the stick or the rail, keeping them short and well away from faces and necks.
2. Hold the stick up or look at the rail and watch the streamers.
3. Make up words for what you see, such as still, gentle, flutter or fast.
4. Note which way the strips point, and check again later.

Notice: Which way did the streamer blow, and did it ever stop completely?

6. Puddle and dry-spot comparison

Age hint: 4 and up.

Bring: chalk and your diary.

1. After rain, ask your grown-up to help you find a safe puddle well away from roads, drains and deep water.
2. Draw a chalk line around the edge of the puddle, and draw a line around a damp patch nearby too.
3. Come back later and look at the edges. Has the puddle got smaller, and is the damp patch still dark?
4. Wash your hands afterwards, since puddle water can be dirty.

Notice: Which dried first, a puddle in the sun or one in the shade? One idea is that the water slowly dries into the air.

More to do on Rangooo

Try some easy science activities at home, get outside with nature walk activities, plan for wet days with rainy day activities, grow plants with balcony gardening for kids, explore sunshine and shadow activities, fly a kite with kite and wind activities, or browse more stories and activities.

Questions

What age suits weather watching activities?

Most of these ideas suit ages three to eight with a grown-up. The cloud shapes and wind streamer work for the youngest children, while the rain gauge and shadow tracking suit slightly older ones.

Can we do these without a garden?

Yes. A balcony, a window with a view of the sky or a courtyard is enough. The diary, cloud spotting and wind streamer need almost no room.

Does the weather diary tell us what tomorrow will be like?

No. The diary is only for noticing and remembering what each day looked like. If your family wants to know what is coming, a grown-up can check a trusted local forecast.

What should we do if there is thunder or lightning?

Go indoors and stay inside until a grown-up says it is fine to go out again. Leave the rain gauge, streamer and chalk where they are, because they can wait. A grown-up always decides when it is safe, not the child.