WHERE'S THE WEATHER
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WHERE'S THE WEATHER
The endless variety of New England weather is depicted in this interactive slide show as students are introduced to wind, clouds, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, snow, rain, hail, sleet, ice, rainbows and halos. A series of manipulative experiments inspire the drama and beauty of earth's atmosphere. |
RAINDROPS
Have you ever wondered what shape a raindrop is? Catch a few and find out! This activity allows your students to collect raindrops as they fall and to preserve their shapes and sizes for observation and study. |
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SNOWFLAKES
Have you ever caught a snowflake and preserved it forever? Our instructor will show you a gallery of snowflakes caught at the Science Center. Then, students will learn about the uniqueness of snow crystals by making structurally-accurate paper models of several crystal types. At the Science Center you can even experiment with cloud seeding to watch crystals in the process of formation. |
VIOLENT WEATHER
Explore the destructiveness of Mother Nature's fury as students watch videos of floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Students will produce their own tornado model and learn how these high speed vortices occur. In addition simulations of cloud formation and lightning propagation will be demonstrated. |
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HURRICANES
Nature's most infamous storms are brought into proper size and perspective with this unique tracking activity. Students choose from a set of historic hurricanes and create a full- fledged representation of its life-cycle, tracing its path across sea and land. |
WIND VANES & WEATHER WHEELS
The changing weather in New England allows much for us to observe and contemplate. The phenomenon of air movement will be the focus of this interesting lesson. Children will use their creative talents to design and build a wind indicator vane. They will learn to predict the weather based upon which way the wind blows and use a simple "weather wheel" for this process. |
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AIR PRESSURE AND WIND
What causes the wind to blow? Your students will discover the answer by altering the air pressure inside a wind chamber that each will build. (Each student must provide an empty 2-liter soda bottle). |
THERMOBAROMETERS
Students will learn the principles of atmospheric pressure as it relates to the current weather. In this activity the children will build their own thermobarometers and study the effects of temperature and pressure on a can full of air. This fun and informative lesson gives students a concrete understanding of scientific phenomena and measurement. (Each child needs to provide a clean 10 ounce soup can.) |
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ANEMOMETERS
This lesson details the device used to measure the speed of the wind. From Beaufort's original wind scale to complex electronic devices, our need to accurately measure the wind's speed has increased over time. Students will construct a three-cup anemometer, modeled against an airport-quality device, and then calibrate it. |
CLOUDS FROM UP AND DOWN
Clouds inspire the imagination and create wondrous sunrises and sunsets while they foretell the weather to come. Learn what clouds are and how they form into their beautiful shapes. Students will create cloud models and learn a simple identification scheme. |
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THUNDERSTORMS
Students create an authentic model of a cumulonimbus cloud and learn how they form in the atmosphere. In addition, they learn how these clouds create lightning, thunder, hail, and tornadoes. |
VIRTUAL-REALITY THUNDERSTORM IN THE HYPOSPHERIUM
What comes first, lightning or thunder? Our artificial thunderstorm will shake the scientific explanation of these phenomena into your students for a wild experience. (Not recommended for very young students). |
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SATELLITE ANIMATION
Students create their own satellite animation flipbook depicting a significant weather event. In doing so, they gain a new perspective on clouds and weather systems as seen from space and how they change with the passage of time. |
THE WEATHER STATION
Join us at the Science Center for a weather station tour combined with a look at the latest weather instruments. Students will learn new skills to observe and record meteorological phenomena using our weather station's instruments. This includes one of the most advanced Doppler radar systems in the Northeast U.S. and current GOES images obtained directly from the satellite. In addition, the Center is an active participant in SchoolNet8, Connecticut's statewide weather observation network. |
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WEATHER INSTRUMENTS
Learn about the science principles behind the instruments used to forecast the weather. Students will be introduced to the entire spectrum of instruments used to measure weather phenomena and build one to take home. |
AUTOMATED WEATHER SOURCE (AWS) ACTIVITIES
Is your school part of the SchoolNet8 Weather Network and would you like to do more with it? Our meteorologist has installed several of these systems and has created an array of hands-on activities related to each of these measurements. |
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ICE GLOBES
The freezing of water into ice involves a tremendous release of energy as molecules are arranged in an orderly fashion. Ice globes allow us to observe the effects of this physical transformation. A set of these globes will be brought into your classroom, where students can relate features such as air bubbles, fractures, and crystals to those observed in nature, such as in icicles or glaze from an icestorm. |
AIR POLLUTION
Ground-based ozone is the leading component of photochemical smog. Your students will learn how smog forms, how it is measured and its effects on life processes. Using Internet web sites, we will relate smog levels to weather conditions locally and across the country. |
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RAIN GAUGES
How much water falls from the sky in your town in one year? Your students will be surprised at how much rainfall may vary from place to place or from year to year. They will construct an accurate rain gauge to use at home to record daily precipitation. (Each student must provide an empty 2-liter soda bottle). |
WATER CYCLE
Where do clouds and rain come from? Where do they go? The answers lie not only above us, but at our feet as well. Topics include cloud formation, precipitation, water transport and evaporation. Students will experiment with each process, learning how the land, seas, and sunlight combine to keep our atmosphere active. |
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SEASONS
The Earth's orbit around the Sun and how it impacts life on our planet is the topic of this investigation. An interactive slide show highlights the changing vistas seen throughout the year. Additionally, students will learn how and why these changes occur through a series of activities. |
OBSERVATIONAL WEATHER FORECAST
Using wind direction and cloud type identification, a detailed short-term weather forecast can be made. Students will construct a wind vane and learn to recognize different cloud types, then put this knowledge to use to analyze current weather patterns and project them into the future. A two-hour session is recommended for this activity. |
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COMPUTER WEATHER FORECAST
Learn how to read daily weather maps by compiling your own using the latest available data from the Internet. Your students will first learn how to obtain data, then interpret satellite and radar imagery. Once completed, your students will be able to forecast the weather, days in advance, for any part of the United States. |