Make a pine cone weather station
A simple way to record the weather
Equipment
◊ A pine cone
Method
1. Place the pine cone on a window sill.
2. Have a look at the pine cone every day and
record whether it is open or closed. Is it raining?
Pine cones are full of very light seeds. They open on fine, dry days so that the wind can carry the seeds far away from the parent tree. On days when the humidity is higher, the seeds are less likely to be carried away, so the pine cones remain closed.
Borrow an Instrument
Did you know the Royal Meteorological Society lends instruments to schools free of charge?