For 1st grade science Katey has been learning all about the Water Cycle, different types of weather, and meteorologists.
We started off simple with the outside temperature and how to read a thermometer. Then we learned about wind and the tools meteorologists use to measure wind.
We made an anemometer to measure wind speed. (it broke after the first day so then we just made a homemade pinwheel. We also make a weather vane.
She learned about clouds. She learned that they hold rain. She made a rain gauge. We just used a mayonnaise jar and marked on it using a ruler.
We also made a cloud in a jar. We used hot water in the jar, put the lid on upside down and set ice cubes on top. The water vapor cooled and began to form a cloud. It did turn to rain quickly.
We dove into more types of precipitation as well as sang the water cycle song.
We learned about hailstones and how it has layers like an onion. 
We had it rain in a glass. We filled the measuring jar partly up with hot water added in a smaller glass and covered it with Saran wrap. We then put an ice cube on top (the cold air at the high altitude).
We saw the raindrops forming on the plastic wrap. Then they fell and sure enough they fell into our empty glass. We also talked about how water moved. It can be picked up from this ocean and put into this lake kind of thing.
Then we got into the different types of clouds. We made a cloud chart using cotton balls and black water color paint. We also put them in order of altitude. So each day when she is documenting the weather she can document the cloud type also.
Our last experiment/ project for this weather unit involved thunderstorms. We learned about safety during a thunderstorm as well as what causes lighting and thunder.
We rubbed a balloon on ourselves to create the electricity and touched it to tinfoil to see the spark (lightning). We did this in a dark room. Then she got to pop the balloon to make the thunder.
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