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Make your own weather instruments

SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven't used before.

weather-map

Learn more about weather and meteorology by completing these weather-related projects.


MAKE A WIND VANE

A wind vane measures the direction of the wind.

What You’ll Need

  • Aluminum baking dish, pie tin or tray that’s thin enough to cut
  • Wooden garden stake that’s at least 3 feet tall and 1 inch thick
  • 12-inch-long, 1-inch-thick piece of wood
  • 2- to 3-inch-long nail
  • Drill
  • Metal washer
  • Hammer
  • Mallet
  • Glue
  • Small saw
  • Scissors

What You’ll Do

weathervane31. Using the mallet, drive the garden stake into the ground until it feels sturdy. Choose a location that’s outdoors and relatively clear of anything that would obstruct the wind.

2. Using the saw, cut a half-inch slot into each end of the 12-inch-long piece of wood.

3. With the help of an adult, place the piece of wood on top of the stake, and drill a hole through the wood and into the stake. Use a drill bit that’s slightly larger than the nail you’ll be using.

 

weathervane44. Place the washer on top of the stake, and insert the nail through the wood and into the stake. The piece of wood should be free to rotate but not fall off.

 

weathervane25. Cut an arrowhead and tail out of the aluminum, and glue them into the slots on each end of the wood.

 

weathervane16. Wait for the wind to blow, and watch as your vane turns to point in the same direction.


MAKE AN ANEMOMETER

An anemometer measures the speed of the wind.

What You’ll Need

  • New sharpened pencil
  • 5 plastic foam cups
  • Hole punch
  • Straight pin
  • 2 long plastic straws
  • Felt marker
  • Tape

What You’ll Do

anemometer51. Mark a number “1” on one of the cups and set it to the side.

2. Poke four holes evenly spaced apart in the sides of the cup by plunging the pencil straight through both sides. Make sure one set of holes is slightly lower than the other.

 

anemometer43. Poke the pencil through the bottom of the cup, then pull it out, turn it around, and push it through the hole again, this time with the eraser side up.

 

anemometer34. Thread straws through the holes of the cup so that they cross in the middle. Tape the straws in place.

 

anemometer25. Push the pencil up until the eraser touches the straws at the point where they cross. Push the straight pin through the straws and into the eraser so that the straws are held in place, but the cup can still spin around the pencil.

6. Using the pencil, poke one hole in the side of each remaining cup. Mount each cup on the straws.

 

anemometer17. Hold the apparatus by the pencil, wait for the wind to blow, and watch it spin. Count the number of revolutions the marked cup makes in one minute to track the wind speed.


MAKE A RAIN GAUGE

weather-200x148A rain gauge measures the amount of rain.

What You’ll Do

You can make a rain gauge out of any kind of measuring cup left outside when it rains.

If an old measuring cup isn’t handy, cut the top off of a plastic water bottle. Use a ruler to measure how much water the bottle collects after a rainfall, or, better yet, use a waterproof marker to make inch marks on the side of the bottle.



Submit a Photo of Your Project

Important Note: Please only upload photos of your project. Because of privacy rules, we can't post any photos that show people's faces. Always ask for your parent's permission before uploading anything to a website.

49 Comments on Make your own weather instruments

  1. COOL

  2. Ladybug :) // May 12, 2020 at 1:34 am // Reply

    So not used 2 this. LOL

  3. Ladybug :) // May 12, 2020 at 1:06 am // Reply

    I guess I just gotta use this for online school

  4. Oh yeah yeah // February 19, 2019 at 2:13 pm // Reply

    Oh yeah yeah oh yeah yeah

  5. perfect for doing a project!!!

  6. Thanks a lot! I’m going to use these to wrap up one of my Venturing Novas!

  7. Captainkylep1 // December 7, 2016 at 11:45 am // Reply

    awesome

  8. Magic god // May 2, 2016 at 8:48 am // Reply

    magic is cool

  9. Ha ha looks hard is it I do not feel like doing it it looks kind of hard.

  10. I liked how it showed all the steps and it made to make the project

  11. This is awesome

  12. cool

  13. wow…this website helped me a lot but I wish it had more options

  14. So gooooood

  15. It came in use for homework

  16. Really helped me for a last minute project!!!!!!

  17. cool am I right

  18. thanks for helping m to do my homework it is very awesome and very cool

  19. nice

  20. very poor project

  21. Very very poor

  22. I love it.

  23. This helped me a lot out with making the anemometer for class

  24. In class we had to make anemometer , I was not excited then when I found this
    Website it made life a lot easer.

  25. Very cool!

  26. I was trying to make a wind vane,but it was sure hard.

  27. this soooooo thank you for provideing this information.

  28. borin… just kidding its interesting…

  29. ahhhhh so borin!!!!

  30. you need to put in a barmoneter

  31. i just want to make the rain gauge, but I’m still saving this to my favorites list

  32. how do you make a barometer

  33. this realy works

  34. so hard

  35. charmed one // April 18, 2011 at 6:40 pm // Reply

    looks really hard and boring!

  36. Science club // October 17, 2010 at 11:21 am // Reply

    What a great idea on the anemometer! We are studying weather in our after school club. What is the formula to calculate the number of spins for wind speed?

  37. Wow, great timing! We JUST got notice that we have to make a weather instrument as a project for school!

  38. this is cool! 🙂

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