Weather & Atmosphere Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 2)

Air Pollution

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Smog days are often posted in your local newspaper. Check how many smog days your city has had in the last year. How does it compare to to other years? You can also take pictures of your city landscape on high and low smog days. How do the pictures compare? How does smog in the atmosphere affect visibility? What is smog made of? You can use tongue depressors smeared with Vaseline to check for smog particles in different areas; just stick in the ground and look at them a few days later. … Read more

How Does a Wind Meter Work?

STEM Activity

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28 reviews

Have you ever wondered how wind is made? Wind is caused by a difference in air pressure. Air travels from areas of higher pressure to places where there is less pressure. And just as air flows out of the high-pressure inside an inflated balloon if the opening is not tied, air in the atmosphere will move to a lower pressure area, creating wind. The speed of that wind can be measured using a tool called an anemometer. An anemometer looks like a weather vane, but instead of measuring which… Read more

Predicting the Weather

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Before you head for school for the day, you might check the weather to see whether or not you need to wear a jacket or bring an umbrella. It is pretty easy for you to check the TV or internet to see what the weather will be like today, tomorrow, or even next week. The modern-day science of meteorology, or studying and predicting the weather, has many advanced tools at its disposal that make it easy for you to get this information. How did people predict the weather before the invention of… Read more

How Sunlight Warms the Earth

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten

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Kindergarten students associate the sun with light and warmth. This lesson helps them expand this knowledge by getting their hands dirty! They will fill cups with soil, water and rocks and place them in the sun and shade for a while. By finding out how they can tell where a cup has been stored, they will learn how the sun affects Earth's surface. In a follow-up lesson, Create Shade to Protect from the Sun, students figure out how to protect a territory from getting too hot in the sun. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth's surface.

Hurricanes

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Unless you live in the Southern states, you only hear about the most destructive hurricanes. In fact hurricanes occur every year, even multiple times a year. Each hurricane is a tropical storm related to cyclones and tornadoes, some big and some small. Each hurricane is measured based upon several variables like: wind speed, diameter, direction of movement and speed of movement. Does the size of the hurricane correlate with the wind speed? What information can the eye of the hurricane… Read more

Make a Hygrometer with Strands of Hair

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Does your hair go crazy when the weather turns damp? Did you know that strands of hair can relax and lengthen when the humidity increases and then contract again when the humidity decreases? In fact, hair strands can be used as the basis for a hygrometer, a device which measures the humidity level in the air. Will a hygrometer help you to predict bad hair days(!) or can you use it to help predict the weather? Read more

Make a Thermometer to Study the Temperature

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd

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Students experience the weather every day: they feel cold spring mornings and warm summer afternoons. This hands-on lesson helps them quantify how hot or cold it is by using a thermometer they will make themselves! Based on their gathered data and observations, students can infer patterns about how temperature varies by location and time. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

Make Your Own Psychrometer

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

From the name, you might guess that a psychrometer is an instrument designed to measure your thoughts. Psych! Actually, it is an instrument that can help you forecast the weather. Read more to find out how it works. Read more

Ozone Depletion

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The ozone layer is important for blocking most of the harmful radiation that comes from the sun. You can find maps of the ozone layer and compare different regions of the globe for ozone coverage. Where are the problem areas? Is there a difference in ozone coverage between different hemispheres? Between populated and un-populated areas? In atmospheric regions over land masses or over bodies of water? Some scientists think that aerosols in the air are breaking down the ozone layer. You can do… Read more

Warm in the Sun

STEM Activity

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Have you ever walked across a large parking lot on a sunny day and felt like you were roasting? That's because the asphalt gets really hot in the sun! Streets, buildings, and parking lots can get so hot that they raise the average temperature of urban areas by a few degrees. Do you think natural materials also heat up in the sun, or only man-made materials? Do this activity to find out! Read more

Weather & Atmosphere Projects, Lessons, Activities (45 results)

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