Welcome to a Week of Outdoor Fun & Learning!
This week is calling for nice weather (at least here in Central Maryland), so we thought that we’d take advantage of the opportunity to get outside to enjoy the outdoors while doing some science! Each day we’ll be focusing on a different part of nature. We hope that you join us for some fun & science in the sun 🙂
Take a look up. What do you see?
Chances are, you may seem clouds of some sort. Clouds are formed when when moist air rises upwards. (Think back to the activity we did with the water cycle.) As the air rises, it becomes colder. Eventually the air can’t hold all of the water vapor in it, and some of the water vapor condenses to form tiny water droplets. The temperature determines what kind of precipitation falls.
There are lots of different kinds of clouds. They have different shapes and sizes. Clouds are grouped by where they appear in the sky- low level, mid level, and high level. Certain types of clouds appear in certain types of conditions, so clouds can often be used to help us determine what the weather is going to be like.
Let’s look at the different types of clouds.
Experiment Time: Cloud Journaling
Now that you know about the different types of clouds, it’s time to head outside to look at the clouds. It’s not usual to see different kinds of clouds at different times of day. This has to do with the weather systems that are moving in and out of an area. In today’s experiment, you are going to print out the cloud journal and record what clouds are in the sky at three different times during the day: once in the morning, once around noon, and once in the afternoon. There are two journal sheets included: one that’s labeled “Monday” and one that allows you to write in the day of the week. Click here to access the journal page.
Literature & Art Connection
There are a lot of different kinds of clouds and it can be confusing keep all of the different kinds straight. Clouds written by Anne
Rockwell is a simple book that introduces each kind of cloud with clear illustrations that younger students can read. Another great way to help children remember the different kinds of clouds and what they look like and where they are located is to give them hands-on experience with them. With some cotton balls, glue, and a piece of construction paper, children can make a model of some of the different kinds of clouds.
Clouds by Anne Rockwell
Cotton Ball Cloud Activity Click the title to go to the activity.
More Cloud Resources
Tree House Weather Kids by University of Illinois Click the title to access the resource (Grades 2++)
ID a Cloud Quiz Click the title to access the resource (Grades 2++)
NASA/NOAA Cloud Chart Click the title to access the resource (Grades 4++)