If you’re wanting to add fun wind activities middle school, your kids will love this simple wind vane. Also, grab more ideas here Middle School Hands-on Science : Extreme Winds and Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning.
Important and valuable science lessons don’t always have to come from books.
You and your student can get a lot out of hands-on experiments, interesting books, and videos.
To help you get started on your wind activities middle school journey I have some great resources.
And then let’s put together a very simple but informative hands-on experiment creating a weather vane to determine wind direction.
Wind Activities Middle School Ideas
Start off with a really fun activity that kids of all ages love-paper airplanes. Investigating Wind: Paper Airplane Competition.
Build different styles and sizes, investigate the effects of the wind on them, and record the results.
Another fun and simple activity you can do is to learn about Extreme Winds and grab + a free mini book.
Grab a Build Your Own Wind Turbine Kit for a firsthand look at wind energy.
Or build a model wind turbine completely from scratch with this tutorial.
Have your middle schooler create their own Anemometer with a few simple household items.
Why not challenge your teen to make their own windsocks, windchimes, and kites to incorporate some art into their studies on wind.
These activities are definitely not just for little ones.
Grab this online self-paced literature course for middle school to go along with the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Also, look at this mini weather station.
Next, look at these videos to learn about weather and wind.
Videos about Wind
- Air Pressure and Wind-Middle School Science
- Watch Twister together for an epic fictional look at the power of the wind in tornadoes.
- What Causes The Wind
- The Coriolis Effect Explained
- How a hurricane is formed and grows
Also, grab these useful books.
Learning about Wind
Wind Activities - Middle School Books
Create fun science learning ideas or a quick unit study from some of these resources.
In The Secret World of Weather, bestselling author Tristan Gooley turns his gaze up to the sky, bringing his signature brand of close observation and eye-opening deduction to the fascinating world of weather. Every cloud, every change in temperature, every raindrop, every sunbeam, every breeze reveals something about our weather—if you know what to look for. Before you know it, you’ll be able to forecast impending storms, sunny days, and everything in between, all without needing to consult your smartphone.
As “snowpocalypse” descends once again, one temperamental weatherman is determined to set the record straight on the myths and misconceptions surrounding the elements. What is the difference between weather and climate? How do weather satellites predict the future? Can someone outrun a tornado? Does the rotation of the Earth affect wind currents? And does meteorology have anything to do with meteors? Stormin’ Norman Weatherby is gearing up to answer all your wildest questions!
When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.
"Amateur weather forecasters (which includes just about everyone) will find this volume an informative and entertaining account of the why and how of the weather." — The NationIn simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting — and does it in a style that's universally appealing.
This workbook has 84 printable pages for students to explore global warming and wind power. Students learn about wind farms and residential wind turbines, which states are investing money into this renewable resource, how the cost has gone down, the top nations of the world in this industry, noise pollution from turbines, injuries to birds, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and offshore wind farms. Students search for information online about global warming, wind power, climate change, wind farms, turbines, offshore wind farms, wind-powered vehicles, the dangers from turbines and the wind, the benefits of harnessing the wind’s power, and the costs of turbines.
Finally, look at this simple wind vane activity for your kids.
How to Make a Simple Wind Vane With Kids
You will need:
- Paper or plastic straw
- Pencil with eraser
- Cardstock
- Stick pin
- Paper plate
- Plastic cup
- Sharpie marker
- Ruler
- Razor or sharp knife
Directions:
Find the center of your plate.
Then have your student draw intersecting lines for N,S, E, W.
If you are doing this with younger students you may want to stop here.
For middle school kids I suggest further adding NE, NW, SE, and SW.
Poke a hole with a straight edge razor or knife in the bottom of the cup to fit your pencil tightly.
Cut a slit on either end of the straw.
Next, cut cardstock into a 1-11/2” triangle for one end and a trapezoid shape for the other end.
Slide each into a slit and secure with a dab of hot glue.
Poke the straight pin down through the middle of the straw and into the eraser.
Slide pencil mechanism through the cup and to the plate. Add hot glue as needed to secure any loose pieces.
To add weight to your weathervane so it doesn’t fly away outside glue coins or small pebbles to the underside of the plate to anchor it.
Use a compass (you can get an app on your phone if you don’t have one)
Figure out north and point your N indicator on the plate in that direction.
Use your compass to determine the direction the wind is blowing; the arrow indicates the direction the wind is coming from.
Next, have your child track the wind’s direction throughout the day or week with a simple grid.
