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Washington State University

Weather Watchers – Explorer: Skill Level One

Weather Watchers

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EXPLORER – Skill Level: One

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Mountains

Activity:

Measuring Temperature, Wind and Rain

 

Objective:  Collect  consistent and accurate data collection with self created data tools
Science Skills:  data collection, confirming data against multiple sources
Life Skills:  critical thinking

Preparation Activities
Review “Weather Watch” from the 4-H Curriculum Exploring Your Environment.

Ask youth if they remember the weather  a month ago on a specific day.  Why would knowing / predicting the weather be important?   How does having specific records of past weather help us?  How do we make predictions?

What You Will Need

– Observation Log
– Pencil
– Outdoor thermometer
– Coffee can
– Ruler
– Clear jar with flat bottom (spaghetti/olive jar)
– Scissors
– Wide clear tape
– Two liter plastic bottle
– Construction paper
– Push pin
– Pencil with eraser

Activity:  Weather Logging
Explain to youth that a good observation log would include environmental records such as temperature, wind and precipitation.   Ask why that information could be important.

What would be important about collecting a data of the weather?  (ex:  daily highs and lows, checking against forecasts,  collecting at the same time each day).

Youth can use the same calendar from other activities or an observation log to record their information.

Comparing their own data with that of a qualified source will help raise worthwhile questions.

There is no shortage of weather web sites available online.  We recommend  using the WSU AgWeatherNet (linked in Explore More) to get accurate readings for your county.  Youth can check their data against the data available on the Washington Map by rolling their cursor over the weather stations near their location.  Checking  online data that is not a high or low should be done at relatively the same time each day to confirm accuracy.

On windy days practice making wind assessments both from beaches and on land using the Beaufort scale. (see below)

Beaufort Wind Scale for Land

Citation: From “The Power of Wind”  National 4-H Curriculum #  08383

Important Tools:

Fahrenheit to Celsius and Back Again

Formula: Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius

1. Subtract 32 degrees from the Fahrenheit temperature.
2. Multiply by 5.
3. Divide by 9.

Formula: Convert Celsius to Fahrenheit

1. Multiply the Celsius temperature by 9.
2. Divide by 5
3. Add 32

Asking the Right Questions:
How do we explain differences in our data?  When do high temperatures generally happen? When do low temperatures generally happen?  How consistent were we on collecting data at the same time each day? How accurate is our data compared to other sources?

For a deeper exploration into Wind Energy try the 4-H Activity Guide “The Power of the Wind.”

Finished this Activity?

Complete this survey.

 

Explore More

EcoKids Planet Protector

Beaufort Scale for Waterbodies

Ag Weather Net: www.weather.wsu.edu

State Climatologist

 

It’s All Connected

If you would like to share your organization’s expertise in this area with 4-H youth, please contact Brenda Dunford, 4-H Coordinator at: brenda.dunford@wsu.edu