Here are some activities to keep the kids busy on a rainy day. Click on any of the images below to go to the craft project page.
RAINY DAY WEATHER SCIENCE
TORNADO IN A JAR
You’ll need: glass pickle jar, teaspoon, clear liquid soap, and water
Fill the jar about three-quarters full of water.
Put a teaspoon of clear liquid soap into the jar.
Stir up the contents with a spoon to create a swirling vortex. Lift the spoon and watch your tiny tornado spin.
A tornado forms when warm, wet air collides with cold, dry air. The air is moving at different speeds in different directions – which creates a spinning tube of air.
CLOUD IN A JAR
You’ll need glass pickle jar and the lid, microwave, water, and ice cubes
Pour about two inches of *very hot water into the glass jar. (*Microwave the water for 1 minute. Or heat it in a pan on the stove.)
Flip the lid upside down and place 3 ice cubes on top of it.
Place the upside down lid on top of the jar.
The cold lid causes the warm air inside the jar to condense and form water droplets. (It will look foggy.)
The water droplets will drip down the sides of the jar.
When warm air rises and meets colder air in the atmosphere, water vapor forms and precipitation falls to the ground.