After the kids and I learned a little about weather and meteorology, I thought making our weather instrument would be a fun idea. We gathered supplies from around the house and got started with some fun experimenting. If you want to do a fun and simple experiment to pique the kid’s curiosity, I recommend making this simple thermometer.
You’ll Need:
- An empty plastic or glass bottle
- A clear straw – I used a large malt straw
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Water
- Food Coloring
- Play-Doh
- Funnel
- A tray to protect your surface from liquids
Now:
- Start by measuring out equal amounts of rubbing alcohol and water
- I only had a little over 1/4 cup of alcohol, so that’s the amount I used. I added an equal amount of water to that
- A funnel is very helpful in making sure the liquid makes its way into the bottle and not onto your counter.
- My liquid amount only went about 1/4 of the way up my bottle – which is about where you want it.
- Grab a small amount of Play-Doh to hold the straw in place
- Insert the clear straw into the bottle, not letting it touch the bottom
- It should hover over the bottom of the bottle, and some of the straw should stick out of the top of the bottle
- Secure the straw with the Play-Doh by wrapping it around where the straw and bottle top meet
- Press to seal
Experimenting Fun:
- Pass the thermometer around, and have the kids gently hold the bottom of the bottle without squeezing.
- See if the warmth of their hands makes the liquid rise up through the stra.w
- Try rubbing hands together to get them nice and warm, and try again.
- Grab a bowl of hot water, and hold the thermometer in the hot water
- Watch as the colored liquid rises up through the straw
- Add ice cubes to the bowl, and watch the liquid slowly drop back down
- Try all sorts of ideas – Hair dryer? setting it in the sun? whatever you can think up
- Be careful, though – protect your surfaces and yourselves. If the mixture gets very hot, it might come up through the top of the straw
~ Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com
