Weather Center

An easy "backyard" science project is to set up a simple weather center on the playground.  I made mine in a few hours from scrap wood I found in the garage.  On it is an anemometer, thermometer, rain gauge, and wind sock.  I also have a homemade barometer in my classroom.  Each day, my student weather reporter checks the temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation, barometer, and type of clouds.  (And, sometimes gets locked out and has to knock on the window to be let back inside! Love  fourth graders!) They then give a weather report and record their data on a spreadsheet on the computer.  Keeping a spreadsheet allows us to make graphs and compare information from week to week, month to month, or even season to season.

As a result of paying attention to, and checking and recording the weather each day, my students are not only learning the names and purposes of weather instruments and types of clouds, but also developing some basic knowledge of weather forecasting.  I'm attaching a picture of my weather station.  You can see that it's not really a big deal, but a simple tool that can result in big learning (in the backyard!).