Weather Projects

Elementary students are familiar with weather because conditions outside affect them daily. During the summer, parents remind children - "Wear sunscreen. Drink water." Winter comments include - "Button up. Keep your hat on your head." In the fall and spring, they hear - "Carry an umbrella. Bring along a light sweater." Before children reach a double-digit age, they know how temperature and precipitation influence their clothing and activities. Getting students interested in weather science projects is a breeze with all this prior knowledge to build upon.

Projects presented below in detail include a weather station, weather journal, weather vocabulary wall, climatic zone travel brochure, layers of the atmosphere, air pressure, fronts, wind, water cycle, cloud formation and meteorological presentation.

Weather Station - Every class studying weather needs a weather station. Some teachers prefer to setup an entire station at the beginning, but other teachers think it is more beneficial to add instruments as the students learn more about their functions. For starters, hang a thermometer outside a classroom window. Secure an empty can on a ledge outside the classroom window as the rain gauge. Periodically, pour the contents of the can into a marked graduated cylinder to determine how many inches or centimeters have fallen. Post daily newspaper weather forecasts on the board. Students can easily construct all other instruments in projects to follow.

Weather Journal - Students initially record observable weather conditions like cloudiness and temperature. As students learn to read more instruments, their journal entries will be more substantial. The entry should take place generally around the same time everyday for consistency. If the journal is to be graded, share a rubric with the students.