
By Teachers, For Teachers
Spring has sprung! Here is your opportunity to talk to students about the weather, and discuss the weather changes and patterns. March into this collection of weather lesson plans for primary grades and you will discover a forecast that you can count on.
Oftentimes after it rains outside you can see a rainbow. Have students make their own rainbow with this simple hands-on experiment. Tip: You will need sunlight for this experiment.
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Have students go to the window and hold the glass of water above the white paper. Students will observe how the sunlight passes through water and forms a rainbow on the paper.
For some reason, children are fascinated when they see fog. To reveal how fog actually works, try this fun experiment.
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Pour the hot water into the clear jug, light a match, blow it out and drop it into the bottle. Next, close the bottle with the clay, leaving a small opening for the tube of the pump. Place the tube into the opening and pump about 15-20 times, then remove the pump. The air will instantly turn into fog inside the bottle.
So how does it rain anyway? This fun and simple experiment will show students just that.
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Students can work with a partner for this experiment. To begin, have one student pour the water into the jar, then place the plate over the top of the jar. Wait a minute or two, then have the next student place the ice cubes onto the plate. Students will observe that the cold plate causes the moisture in the warm jar to form water droplets. You can then explain that this is what happens in the atmosphere.
Lightning is fascinating, as much as it can be scary. To ease your young students fears of lightning, as well as teach them how it works, try this hands-on activity.
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This activity will give students the opportunity to create a thermometer.
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This easy hands-on weather activity will have your students talking for weeks! They will be so amazed they will want to try it at home.
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Tip: For an added touch, you can add a few drops of food coloring or glitter to represent debris.
All of these hands-on activities will help students understand the process of weather. In addition to these activities, try placing a thermometer outside of your classroom. Each morning have students read the temperature, and then again before they go home. This will give you an opportunity to discuss how the temperature changes throughout the school day.
What are you favorite hands-on weather lesson plans and activities? Share with us in the comment section below. We would love to hear your ideas.
Janelle Cox is an education writer who uses her experience and knowledge to provide creative and original writing in the field of education. Janelle holds a Master's of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She is also the Elementary Education Expert for About.com, as well as a contributing writer to TeachHUB.com and TeachHUB Magazine. You can follow her at Twitter @Empoweringk6ed, or on Facebook at Empowering K6 Educators.