The Crafty Classroom logo

You are here: Home / Archives for Science Activities

Science Activities




How to Start a Kids Weather Station

By Leave a Comment

Homeschoolers don’t get snow days (most of the time) but the weather is still a part of their learning. Meteorology is an engaging science with plenty of hands-on learning opportunities. Let’s face it, the weather is always there! No matter where you live, you experience weather first hand, on a daily basis. This makes it a perfect real-world science for kids. Ready to get your kids hooked on learning about weather patterns and meteorological terms? Keep reading for a step by step guide on how to start a kid’s weather station in your homeschool.

Annual Weather Tracking Worksheet

Tools to Start a Homeschool Weather Station

Every scientist needs tools. For meteorology, tools can be pretty expensive and high tech, or simple and low cost. However, evey weather station will need a way to measure the following:

Pick out tools that fit your budget and outdoor space. Look for opportunities to double up on tools. For example, a thermometer might also have a barometer. Find a safe spot to house each of your tools, then create a routine for checking each tool.

Daily Weather Jourals for Kids

Weather Journals for Kids:

Part of the fun of setting up a weather station is recording the daily weather! Encourage your children to record their findings each day in their weather journals. Using a daily weather journal will help you see patterns and over time help you predict what the weather will be. There are a variety of different types of weather journals available on SuperStarWorksheets.com You’ll find simple daily weather sticker charts, monthly calendar tracking sheets, and more advanced daily weather tracking which includes extras like wind direction, wind speed, precipitaion and more.

Annual Weather Tracker & Monthly Weather Tracker

You can also track the weather on an annual weather journal sheet to see longer-term patterns at a glance. It’s also a fun and colorful way to add some color to your homeschool classroom.

See Inside Weather & Climate Book by Usborne & Weather Sticker Chart

Weather Science Books for Kids:

Now that you have all those special tools and instruments set up, it’s time to learn how to use them!  Grab a couple of good books on weather and weather predicting to get your homeschool weather station off the ground. Some recommendations are listed below. 

Weather Tracing Pages for Fine Motor Skills

Weather Youtube Channels:

There are also some amazing channels on Youtube about meteorology for children. The best thing about them is they are free to use. It’s like getting your own personal meteorological science tutor delivered right to your school room! Let these experts help you start a homeschool weather station for your family.

Galileo Thermometer

Barometer, Hygrometer, & Galileo Thermometer

There are many decorative weather tracking options available as well. You might find that setting up a children’s weather station, inspires you to add more tracking elements indoors as well. Since these elements will be in your home, you might consider more visually appealing options if that is a concern for you.

Homeschool Weather Station Activities for All Ages

Time to add some hands-on learning activities. A homeschool weather station can be a hobby or a full blown science study. Add activities and experiments to suit your homeschool needs. The printables include everything from a weather journal to STEM challenges. If you really want to dive deeply into meteorology, check out the weather lab kits. These are packed with activities, information, and experiments. 

Weather Lab Kits:

Electronic Weather Station:

If you opt to get a professional level weather station, you can even join the “Weather Underground” and help predict the weather for your area. 

Need more kid-friendly weather station ideas? Try our preschool Kids Weather Station Printables Page!

Fossil Craft

Do you have a geology planned for your homeschool classroom. Or maybe you have a Dinosaur Theme Preschool Birthday Party to plan for? Either one would be a wonderful opportunity to try our DIY Fossils Project with your chidlren. Making your own fossils is great fun, and really not as “troublesome,” or “messy” as you might think! This craft really drives home the point in how fossils are formed and leaves children with a lasting impression!!

Make Your Own Fossils!

Materials:

  • Plaster of Paris
  • Tinfoil
  • Small objects to fossilize!

Step 1: Making a Fossil Cast

Using your tinfoil, you’ll want to crumple and create a small circular container (as shown in the upper right-hand corner). You’ll need a tinfoil container for each fossil you want to create.

Next, you’ll shape your clay to fit inside the tinfoil container, as shown in the center of the photo. Your tinfoil container should be raised up higher than the clay.

Next, you’ll want to make impressions into your clay. You can do this using a variety of plastic children’s toys. Try insects, dinosaurs etc….and really push into the clay so that each tiny detail is transfered over.

Using toys that have texture or design to them will make for an extra detailed fossil. Just be sure all the little parts are carefully pressed into the clay.

Step 2: Making Plaster Fossils

In a separate container, you’ll want to mix your plaster of paris according to your specific product directions. Obviously, this is a job for Mom, Dad, or the teacher. Always carefully supervise your students when using these types of materials.

Once the plaster is mixed, you can use a small spoon to carefully fill in over the top of your clay impressions. Adding small amounts of plaster with each scoop ensures the plaster reaches inside the tiny areas in your impression.

You can use the back of the spoon to smooth out the top and fill in any areas that might need more coverage.

Once your casts are filled with plaster it’s time to wait for them to harden. This can take near an hour, so set them aside somewhere safe and come back to them in about 60 minutes.

Step 3: Reveal Your Fossils

After you are sure they are hardened, carefully peel back the tinfoil to reveal the clay and plaster. The plaster will be stuck to the clay, so you’ll want to carefully peel that back as well. Slow and steady so as not to break off any small areas.

Wow! Take a peek inside as your plaster cast! This fossil turnout out amasingly detailed, look at all the lines of texture on this spider!

And here is a peek at how our butterfly turned out! How pretty is that? If you look closely you can see all the lines in the body and wings. Plaster of Paris is fantastic for picking up all the intricate details.

And check out our millipede and all those tiny little legs!

Making your own fossils is a simple, yet exciting activity for students. If you are using this activity for educational purposes these would work well for any geology, biology, or archeology unit. If you are using this for a preschool discovery bin or a dinosaur themed birthday party, these would be fun to bury in a small sensory tub filled with sand for students to unearth and discover!