With the change of seasons comes various weather and is a great time to increase a child’s vocabulary or understanding of weather through natural curiosity. Here is a list of science activities that can be done in the home or classroom.

It’s Raining, it’s Flooding:

Using a sandpit with building blocks and toy cars etc create the scene of a town around a stream or river. At one end of the river create a dam or levy bank using the blocks and sand. With watering cans start to ‘rain’ in the dam until it starts to overflow. As the children start to see the impact of the excess water creates talk about ‘flooding’ and how it might effect the town.

Hawaiian Volcano:

This is always an exciting one to make and a great way to explain what happens when the earth’s plates shift. You will need: baking tray to build the volcano on. An empty drink bottle with no lid. Baking Soda. White Vinegar. Red Food Dye. Plaster or playdoh and palm trees etc for scenery.
1. Place the bottle in the middle of the baking tray
2. In a cup mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish washing detergent & three drops of red food dye. Place it in the bottle.
3. Build a volcano shape around the bottle using the playdoh or plaster. Decorate it with your scenery items.
4. Carefully pour a little of white vinegar into the mouth of the volcano and watch your volcano explode and spew lava down the mountain side!

The Hailmaker:

This is one for outside – but very inexpensive and a lot of fun.
1. Make the hail first by freezing water into ice cubes.
2. After it hardens crush it into various sizes. Making sure you leave some large pieces.
3. Wrap foil over an open box (such as a shoebox) and tape it down firmly.Place it on the ground outside.
4. Have the children start by dropping little pieces on the foil and talk about how it might damage cars etc with dents. Then move to dropping larger pieces onto the foil to display how the larger the hail the more damage it causes. Some force in throwing the ice downwards will help break holes into the foil.