Help my kids study the weather!

[ByFaithFarm]

We are preparing to start a science unit in a few weeks. I’m wanting to “beef up” the text book info with some real world observations. I’m planning to prepare a weather station that will include a thermometer, barometer, hygronomer, wind vane, rain gauge and anemometer.

But I want to go beyond that even and study “non-scientific” weather forecasting, moon phases and their impact and natural power sources.

I’d love to hear your favorite ways to predict weather/use natural power-from things simple enough for a 5 yr old to understand to things challenging to a teen.

Thanks so much!

 

[mrghostwalker]

Several years ago my youngest did a science project in which he recorded (printed out) the 10 day weather forecast and compared the long range prediction of precipitation with the actual weather for that day.
He found that long range forecast for rain was never very accurate.
This is a good way to have your children follow predictions of weather for more than a week while making their own observations. My son enjoyed watching to see what the real weather was going to be. He kept charts of his own observations.

 

[Hinotori]

I forgot about joints aching meaning that storms are coming.

Bad joints do react to rapid changes in barometric pressure. That is usually a sign of a storm coming in.

 

[BarredBuff]

Here are some I have always heard/believed:

**Hornets nesting high in a tree means there will be a lot of snow that winter.
**Thick corn husks/silks, and onion husks mean a cold winter is coming.
**Woolly worms. The ratio of brown to black is the ratio of mild to severe cold in the winter.
**When the frost flowers bloom, you are six weeks from a frost.
**Thunder in February, frost in May.
**Fogs in August correspond to snows in the winter.

The Farmer's Almanac has plenty of these sayings in them. I would encourage you all to look for local signs to that point to weather changes. Personally, here are a few I have noticed:

**When the sweet gum turns red, Fall is just ahead.
**The clouds, and clarity of the sky usually give a hint to the season you're in. Big clouds, clear blue sky in the early Fall. Wispy clouds, and light blue sky in the spring.
**Iron weed blooming is always a good pointer to fall.
**Chickens nesting in the spring and fall.

I am also a public school teacher that deals in natural sciences too. Some projects you could do:

**Buy a rain gauge, and record the amount of precipitation in a set time period. Compare the next year. Or total for the year, and plot the data on a graph.

**Record the temperature throughout the day by the hour, and calculate the average temperature for the day. Or record the temperature throughout the week at a certain time, and calculate the average temperature.

**Record the temperature for a specific day each month, and average it for the year.

**Buy a hygrometer, and record the impacts on vegetable plants with a photo.

I literally could go all day with ideas! Hope this helps

 

[FarmerJamie]

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning

 

[FarmerJamie]

leaves upturned prior to a rain

 

[FarmerJamie]

cricket chirping rate reflecting temperature

 

[FarmerJamie]

the howstuffworks site has a list of real animal behaviors due to imminent weather changes

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@FarmerJamie - You're full of 'em, lol! (I didn't say full of "it"!)

 

[ByFaithFarm]

Those are great! I’m looking forward to starting more than ever, now!

Thank you all!