Weather Instruments!

   There are many ways to collect data on the weather. We learned that there are instruments that collect specific measurements about weather. Olyn brought in a few of his personal weather tools for us to observe!

   A rain gauge collects the amount of precipitation and usually is recorded in inches. You can use a ruler to measure the amount of snow accumulation! A barometer measures the amount of pressure in the air. Low pressure usually means a storm is coming, but high pressure means good weather! The speed of the wind is measured in miles per hour on an anemometer. We also use the cardinal directions to explain the direction the wind is blowing from. We learned that the wind can make the temperature feel MUCH colder...this is called "wind chill".
   A hygrometer measures the amount of humidity in the air. Humidity is measured in % and tells you how much moisture the air is holding. The higher the humidity %, the more moisture there is in the air.  A thermometer measures the temperature in either degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius.

Alex is showing the infrared thermometer on which you can point the laser beam to get an accurate temperature.

Jordan has the complete weather station, with the anemometer ready to capture wind speed!

Olyn is holding his barometer!

Wild Weather!!!

We have really enjoyed our "Weather Unit" in science. The water cycle is very important to life on Earth and includes: precipitation, evaporation/transpiration and condensation. We learned that water we drink comes from under the ground and is called "ground water". It is VERY important to not be wasteful with water and also to keep water free from pollution. Did you know that transpiration involves water being evaporated from plants? It reminds of us plants sweating! We also made our own snowstorm and learned that hummidity and temperature effect the type of snowflake that is made!!! A man nicknamed "Snowflake Bentley" was the first person to ever photograph a snowflake.








We finished our class book "One Day on the Prairie" which was about a young boy determined to photograph a Prairie Dog and while he is there he also encounters a tornado! Luckily he survives and most of the prairie animals are also adapted to survive the tornado as well. We read about animal's behavioral adaptations including: going underground in a burrow, flying away, crouching down, and stampeding. Did you know that Bison crouch down to get as low to the ground as possible to help them survive in a tornado!?

BY: AJ and Nick