Experiment Topic: Instruments

DIY Thermometer Screen

Post date 26 November 2020

Make a box for your thermometer

Thermometers are kept in special boxes (Stevenson screen) to protect them from sunshine, wind and the surroundings. You can make your own special box.

What you will need:

A sturdy plastic or wooden box that can stand on its side
White paint
A thermometer
Blu-Tack (or similar)

What to do:

Paint the outside of your box white and wait until it’s dry.
Stick the thermometer inside the box using Blu-Tack.
Take the box outside and find a safe, shady place to keep it.
Stand the box on its side so that the thermometer is at the back of the box and protected from direct weather conditions.
Now you can take temperature readings at the same time every day.

Stevenson screen

Web page reproduced with the kind permission of the Met Office

Borrow an Instrument

Did you know the Royal Meteorological Society lends instruments to schools free of charge?

Click Here

DIY Sundial

Post date 26 November 2020

Make a sundial

A sundial used to be used to tell the time. The sun makes a shadow on the dial. As the sun moves through the day so does the shadow.

What you will need:

Card
Glue
A direction compass (to find north and south)
A drawing compass (to draw a circle with)

What to do:

Print out the template provided below and cut out the shapes. Sundial Template
Draw round the shapes on card and cut them out.
Fold out the two long straight flaps so that they are in opposite directions.
Glue together the two triangles.
Draw a semicircle on the cardboard base.
In the centre of the semicircle, with the thin point of the triangle at the edge of the card, glue the sundial to the base.

How to use your sundial:

Place your new sundial in the sunshine, making sure it is on something level.
Turn the sundial until it is facing south, use your compass to do this part.
Now you can use the sun to tell what the time is. Every hour mark the time and the position of the shadowing on the card. Don’t worry if you miss an hour, you can estimate where that hour is by seeing how far there is between the shadows of the other hours.
Once you have marked down where all the daytime hours are, you will have a fully working sundial.

You will need

Web page reproduced with the kind permission of the Met Office

Borrow an Instrument

Did you know the Royal Meteorological Society lends instruments to schools free of charge?

Click Here

More experiments

Post date 15 November 2020

More simple experiments and demonstrations from around the web:

Fronts in a lab
Does anyone remember drinking birds? Look here to find out how they work, and how they demonstrate many of the physical processes in our atmosphere.
Should you run or walk in the rain? A lovely cartoon explanation on YouTube by Minute Physics.
Colourful convection experiments and videos from Steve Spangler Science
To see the science behind lightning see here: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/lightning-science/
Experiments about evaporation, sea breezes and convection: Home training tools.
Other different weather experiment ideas:
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-experiments.htm
There are lots of ideas at the Little Shop of Physics (explore the various links on the page).
Make a tornado in a jar or see a tornado tube in action
Make a sundial designed specifically for your wall. Or there is a simpler Met Office version.
Make a wind vane (Met Office version) or wind vane (OPAL version) or a simpler windmill .
Make a water barometer.
Make a Lego screen to shield a thermometer or a simpler version from the Met Office.
A sheet for recording a weather_diary
If you happen to have access to a rotating fluid tank, there are some lovely ideas for experiments at MIT’s weather in a tank site.
‘Best of Physics Education’ experiments and demonstrations including several relating to air pressure, tornadoes etc.
A whole load of experiments relating to the oceans from Digital Explorer. They recommend the experiments for use as part of topics covering geographical processes, global energy exchange, chemistry and carbon dioxide, and exploring ecosystems and what affects them.
A simple way to model the water cycle in a bowl.
Ideas for science, environment or weather clubs .

Make a box for your thermometer

What you will need:

What to do:

Stevenson screen

Borrow an Instrument

Make a sundial

What you will need:

What to do:

How to use your sundial:

You will need

Borrow an Instrument

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