FIAR: 'Storm in the Night' - weather experiments!

Our unit on "Storm in the Night" has been all about weather. There are so many fun weather experiments to do!

We read:
- "Down Comes the Rain" by Franklyn Mansfield Branley
- "Flash Crash Rumble and Roll" by Franklyn Mansfield Branley
I can't believe how much I learned about thunder and lightning in this story!
- "A Drop of Water" by Gordon Morrison
- "A Rainbow of My Own" by Don Freeman
- "Like A Windy Day" by Frank Asch
- "Thundercake" by Patricia Polacco
Polacco is a fantastic storyteller. "Thundercake" is about how a little girl shows bravery despite being scared of a storm. The Girl really wanted to make a Thundercake when we were done with this story!
- "Courage" by Bernard Waber
This story is about having courage, which can include during storms!
-  "Wind is to Feel" by Shirley Cook Hatch
As you read through this story, there are tons of tactile things for kids to do to help them understand wind better.

We did:

Making rain in a jar by observing how hot air condenses at the top and then drips back down. For this experiment you just need 2 jars and hot water. Put hot water into one jar and place the other one upside down over the first to capture the air.

We know a homeschool family with a middle schooler, and they're enjoying a bunch of chemistry experiments and games in a unit published by the American Chemistry Society. This was a great game that shows how water molecules like to join together, but you can separate them back out, too!

As we got ready for two of our experiments for the day, I read to the kiddos out of our DK Weather book.

We also made rain in a jar with shaving cream, water and food coloring. By watching how the food coloring finds its way through the shaving cream we learned how rain falls down from the clouds.

This experiment taught us a bit about tornadoes. We used the most clear soda we had on hand (Ginger Ale), added water and then agitated the water in a circle. A funnel formed! We did this one until my arm was too tired! So cool!

Salt and ice cubes in the can. Shake it up, and watch the magic! Frost forms!

Find all my posts on "Storm in the Night" here.