I have a fun weather unit study for kids who love hands-on learning. Also, grab my other tips and ideas on my Free Earth Science Lapbook and Best Homeschool Unit Studies pages.
Too, February 5th happens to be National Weatherperson Day.
So, I thought this was the perfect time to put together a fun weather unit study full of hands-on resources, books, and videos.
I also have a simple activity that is very low prep and easy to set up.
You’ll probably have the three things you need on hand.
We’re make a rain cloud in a jar to allow the kids to explore and understand how clouds and rain work.
Weather is the way the air around us changes. Weather is made up of these different things:
- Temperature
- The Sun
- Precipitation (rain and snow)
- Clouds
- Wind
- Humidity
It can be hot, cold, wet, dry, still, or moving.
Weather is a constant meaning that it is something that we can observe and measure around us every day.
And it can really mess up our plans like ruining a park trip with a stormy day but it is very important to us.
MORE WEATHER RESOURCES
Hurricane Weather Resources
Even as devastating as they can be, even hurricanes have a purpose.
They provide a global heat balance, build new islands, bring rainfall to places that need it, break up bacteria and red tides.
Look at these hurricane weather resources:
You can make your weather unit study as quick as a day or an ongoing constantly learning and growing topic.
There is no shortage of resources, or weather changes for that matter so the length of your study is totally up to you and your child’s interest in the topic.
For example, look at the weather books and resources.
10 Weather Unit Study Resources & Books
Add a few of these resources to your weather unit study for hands-on learning.
"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 Nation. In simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting — and does it in a style that's universally appealing.With humor and common sense shining through in a book that's also lively and informative, Sloane shows readers how to predict the weather by "reading" such natural phenomena as winds, skies, and animal sounds. This beautifully illustrated and practical treasure trove of climate lore will enlighten outdoorsmen, farmers, sailors, and anyone else who has ever wondered what a large halo around the moon means, why birds "sit it out" before a storm, and whether or not to take an umbrella when leaving the house.
This series takes readers (Ages 8-12) on a historical journey, examining how people coped in the past and how they developed ingenious ways to make life safer and less unpleasant. Each book features full-color cartoon-style illustrations and hilarious speech bubbles to heighten interest, making the series attractive even to reluctant readers.It's a nuisance when it rains on a picnic. It's a tragedy when a tornado destroys a neighborhood. Some plants can grow only in hot, dry conditions; others require cold temperatures at certain times of year. And if the Arctic and Antarctic were less cold, melting ice would raise sea levels around the world and cause widespread flooding.
If a hurricane was heading toward your home town, what would you do?
Readers (Ages 7-9) will enjoy the thrilling story of Carrie and Dan, two friends who find themselves caught in the path of a major hurricane. Along the way, they will learn how hurricanes form, how weather scientists track and study these storms, what people do to protect themselves from wind and flooding, and much more.
With experiments, observations and activities children ages seven to thirteen will learn to predict the weather by understanding the science behind it. From foggy mornings to sunny afternoons to our changing seasons, weather forecasting is a year-round, practical science that children will have fun learning about.
How is a forecast predicted? What makes a rainbow? Packed with facts and activities, this book has these answers and more, and is a perfect introduction to the world of sun, snow, and rain for kids who are curious about nature.
With amazing facts about fun topics like thunder and lightning, Weather lets kids have fun and be innovative as they learn through simple activities like cloudspotting and making a barometer. It includes information on weather found in every season of the year, so kids can discover how weather works no matter what it's doing outside.
Is each snowflake unique? What comes first: thunder or lightning? What causes the seasons? Charming illustrations, clever charts, and fun text help kids learn whatever they want to know about wild weather. No matter their question, the fascinating answers are right here!
Nature's most destructive force can be observed and enjoyed in the palm of your hand Hold Pet Tornado from top or bottom and rotate wrist form amazing funnel clouds Includes educational information aboutEF-0 to EF-5 tornados and is a perfect addition to a weather science curriculum or for your future meteorologist Great Stress reliever and the perfect desk toy.
Discover The Wonderful World Of Weather Science With This Scientific Weather Science Lab Kit Designed To Educate The Budding Meteorologist On The Mysteries Of The Climate And Teach Your Young Scientist How To Chart And Predict It.
Spark Your Kid'S Curiosity & Imagination: Including 20 All-Season Activities For All Climates, This Weather Project Kit Covers A Wide Range Of Weather-Related Subjects And Boosts Children'S Cognitive Skills.
Make A Cloud In The Bottle: Measure Temperature With A Real-Life Thermometer, Atmospheric Pressure With A Barometer, Keep Your Head In The Sky To Identify Clouds And Create Fluffy Snow Without Freezing Temps
Keep Children Busy Come Rain Or Shine: Let Your Kids Set Up Their Weather Station Indoors Or Pick The Right Spot For Their Experiments Outdoors. Encourage Them To Take Notes, For The Most Accurate Forecasts
LEARNING AND GROWING: Nourish your child’s social-emotional well-being through this matching-and-sharing game from Peaceable Kingdom that has three difficulty levels adaptable to your child’s age.
HOW TO PLAY: Read the book together, then use your memory skills to find the “sunny” and “stormy” matches from the book before the moon comes up. Use the sun, cloud and rainbow tokens to share the highs and lows of your own day as a family.
WE WIN TOGETHER: Talking about feelings in an age-appropriate way can nurture emotional health and encourage confidence, compassion and kindness. Sunny Stormy game and book help kick-off important conversations between kids and parents.
3 PART, 3 LEVELS: The game’s storybook, memory game and sharing activity can be done all together, or separately, and have three levels of experience to adapt to older and younger children.
INCLUDES: Full-color Picture Book, 24 Game Tiles, 1 Game Puzzle, Heart Pouch with 3 Sharing Tokens, Instructions (For ages 3 and up)
SMART GAMES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE SEASONS: Easter in spring, Halloween in fall, Christmas in winter. You go sailing in summer and see butterflies in spring. Children love playing and learning about the seasons, holidays, activities, and events with our educational board game.
EASY GAMEPLAY FOR BOARD GAMES: Win the season card by matching different props with the correct season card. The first player to collect the 5 season cards wins the game. This game can be played in multiple ways. Watch the video to know more!
LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR KIDS GAMES: Review each picture card, have discussions, and guide kids to sort cards across categories. Gain knowledge about fruits, animals, activities, holidays across the different seasons. Build language, reasoning skills, season identification and categorizing, logical, creative, and critical thinking. "
In addition, add some tornado weather resources.
Tornado Weather Resources
- How Tornadoes Work
- Tornado Alley
- Build your own tornado simulation chamber!
- Tornado Lapbook
- Tornadoes violently rotating columns of air
- Characteristics of a tornado
- What is a tornado?
Also, look at some of these vocabulary words.
Weather Related Vocabulary Words
- equator – an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres
- meteorologist – an expert in or student of meteorology or studying the atmosphere, especially as a means of forecasting the weather.
- evacuate – remove (someone) or leave from a place of danger to a safer place.
- lightning – the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder.
- typhoon – a tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.
- low pressure – condition of the atmosphere in which the pressure is below average
- high pressure – a condition of the atmosphere in which the pressure is above average
- precipitation – is the release of water from the atmosphere to the earth’s surface as a solid or liquid. It includes rain, snow, hail, sleet and dew.
- humidity – is how much water vapor is in the atmosphere.
Moreover add these fun ideas for a hands-on weather unit study.
Hands-on Weather Unit Study Ideas
- Make lightning
- This pet tornado is fun and gives your child a close up but safe look at how the wind moves during a tornado.
- Create a weather-based art project like this rainbow Tissue Paper Craft.
- Make a Tornado in a Bottle from Fun Learning For Kids.
- Grab a Weather Science Lab kit and you will have all the supplies you need on hand to perform 20 all season weather related activities and experiments.
- Watch the weather forecast on TV together for a week, talk about how you should dress and if there are any preparations or changes in your schedule that you should make due to the weather.
- Make a DIY Weather Vane, challenge your older kids to take it to the next level.
- If you have a budding meteorologist on your hands, you might consider investing in a Weather Station, this guy shows indoor and outdoor temps and humidity, barometric pressure, moon phases, and the forecast. This would be a great tool for tracking and recording weather patterns.
- Erosion Hands-on Easy Homeschool Science Activity
- Simple and Easy Instant Ice Kids Activity Homeschool Science Experiments
Additionally, look at a weather disaster timeline.
Weather Disaster Timeline
- 1900 Massive hurricane hits Galveston, Texas
- 1906 Massive earthquake on April 18 hits San Francisco.
- 1906 Typhoon with tsunami kills 10,000 people after hitting Hong Kong
- 1915 Earthquake in Avezzano, Italy kills 29,980.
- 1940 The Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses due to a wind-induced vibrations.
- 1946 A 40-foot tsunami in Hawaii kills more than 170 people.
- 1957 Hurricane Audrey kills more than 500 people in Louisiana and Texas.
More Weather Unit Study Hands-On
How to Make a Rain Cloud In A Jar
You will need:
- A clear glass jar
- Water
- Unscented shaving cream
- Blue food coloring
Directions:
Fill the jar ¾ of the way full with water, the water represents our air.
Top with a couple inches of shaving cream, this represents clouds.
Give your child a squeeze bottle of blue food coloring or a pipette to add it a drop at a time. This will be our rain.
Explain to your child as the cloud fills up with the water (food coloring) it can no longer hold it, so it drops rain into the air and it falls to the ground just like in a real cloud.
You can repeat this experiment over and over.
