Appendix- Instructions on making weather measurement devices

(All resources listed in lesson plan 7) Temperature Measurement device 1: Thermometer- reading temperature and recording Measurement device 2: Home-made thermometer Procedure and image taken from (Carson, 2007) 1. Roll the clay into a ball that is slightly larger than the mouth of the bottle. 2. Use one of the straws to make a straight whole through the middle of the clay ball. Remove straw. 3. Push the other (clean) straw through the hole, so it is 1/3 of the way through, then pinch the clay around the straw, to make a tight seal. 4. Fill the bottle, to the top, with water and add food colouring so it is easier to see through the straw. 5. Put the straw into the bottle, with the longer end (this should leave the shorter end poking out the top). Press the clay around the mouth of the bottle to form a tight seal. 6. Water will then rise through the straw, if it doesnt, add more water. 7. Add a few drops of baby oil to the top of the straw to prevent evaporation. 8. Draw the chart shown in the image and slide into the clay so it is upright. 9. Record results in table with the headings: DATE, TIME, READING, LOCATION.

Rainfall Measurement device: Rain gauge Procedure adapted from Carson (2007) 1. Carefully cut the plastic bottle where the sides start to slope up to the mouth. Put tape around both cut edges. The top part that we just cut off will be placed upside down at the top of the bottle to act as the funnel- tape it in place. 2. Put enough weights in the bottom of the bottle so it is stable enough to stand freely. 3. On a piece of paper, measure and label up to 15cm (approximately the height from the bottom the bottle to wear the tip of the funnel reaches), with mm intervals. NOTE: Make sure you start at 0 above the weights. 4. Attach it to the bottle, covering the paper with the clear packing tape so it is waterproof. 5. Water should be added up to the 0mm point, and reset to this level daily, after measurement. 6. Measure daily (before resetting) and record in a chart using the headings: DATE, TIME, MILLIMETRES OF RAIN.

Image obtained from Carson (2007)

Measuring wind direction and speed Measuring device 1: Wind vane Instructions at: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wind-Vane

Image obtained from http://www.wikihow.com/Make-aWind-Vane

Amendment to procedure: To determine north, south, east and west directions, use the compass, then secure the device to the same spot outdoors so it doesnt move. Measuring device 2: Wind anemometer Procedure and image taken directly from Carson (2007, p. 89) 1. Tape one end of the thread to the ping-pong ball and the other end to the centre point on the based of the protractor. 2. Hold your anemometer level, with the base of the protractor up, and make sure that the ball swings freely. 3. To measure the wind, stand facing into the wind and hold the anemometer away from your body. The wind lifts the ping-pong ball, moving the thread along the protractors scale. The threads height along the scale indicates the speed. The ball should move in a smooth upward lift. If its moving away from the gauge, move to stand more diretly into the wind. 4. The highter the ball is lifted, the stronger the wind. An 85 degree angle on the protractor indicates a wind speed of about 7km/h. Each additional 5 degrees adds about another 3km/h. Amendments to procedure: Use the wind vane to determine direction before using device, so you know the direction the wind is blowing, and can hold the anemometer so the string moves as accurately as possible up the protractor.

Children should record wind direction and speed in a table with the headings, DATE, TIME, WIND DIRECTION, WIND SPEED (km/h)

Relative humidity (RH) Measuring device: Psychrometer Instructions at: http://www.livescience.com/40663-measuring-relative-humidityscience-fair-projects.html No image provided (Concord-Carlisle Highschool, n.d.) Children should record the RH in a table with the headings DATE, TIME, DRY BULB TEMPERATURE, WET BULB TEMPERATURE, RH (%).

Image obtained from http://mail.colonial.net/~rpavlik/CP/pdf/handouts/weather/Table%20Relative%20Humidity.jpg

References

Bagley, M. (2013, October 23). Measuring relative humidity- Science fair projects. Retrieved October 24, 2013, from Live science: http://www.livescience.com/40663-measuring-relative-humidity-sciencefair-projects.html

Carson, M. K. (2007). Weather projects for young scientists: Experiments and science fair ideas. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. Concord-Carlisle Highschool. (n.d.). Relative humidity chart. Retrieved October 26, 2013, from Concord-Carlisle Highschool: http://mail.colonial.net/~rpavlik/CP/pdf/handouts/weather/Table%20Relativ e%20Humidity.jpg Unknown. (n.d.). How to make a wind vane. Retrieved October 24, 2013, from WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wind-Vane