Nestof3 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Have you found having a weather station to be beneficial for earth science study? I have to admit, I am not very excited about weather, and I only need my hair to know that it is humid. ;) But, we are studying earth science this upcoming year, and I always try to provide some sort of hands-on experience. Any opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 (edited) I think it would not be absolutely necessary but would be a really nice addition to earth science. We're doing the Jason Project Monster Storms this summer and part of the curriculum has instructions to build your own: barometer, hygrometer, dew point, anemometer, rain guage and wind vane. You can see the instructions at: http://content2.jason.org/Common/Content/operation_pdf/oms/OMS_SE_EM_lowres.pdf (go to page 6 & 7) I wanted something a little more sturdy looking but not terribly expensive so I ended up getting this kit: I looked all over for for a kit and this was the best I came up with. Sturdier than cardboard and not expensive. It is compact too. I haven't received it yet but any day now. Edited June 13, 2010 by 2cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 My son went through a phase where he wanted to be a meteorologist, though he was never interested in setting up a weather station. He would cut out the weather forecasts from the paper and save them to compare from week to week. The kit above is available at Hobby Lobby, which often offers 40 percent off coupons. We don't have that kit, but do have the 'clean water' one and it was nice - especially for the price. If you live near a regional weather center, be sure to check on a field trip! We went on one last year and it was awesome. My son got to help send off a weather balloon. We found the scientist at the center to be so friendly toward curious children! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 In case you're still looking for materials, this is a fantastic resource for weather projects: Weather Projects for Young Scientists. The projects are accessible enough that most require minimal parental involvement. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I was thinking more on this after I replied earlier. I think putting up a weather station really depends on where you live and what your weather is like. We live in an area that has the same exact weather for weeks and weeks at a time. It is really boring to watch. Ex: It has been between 92 and 98 degrees for three weeks now with no rain for the past two months. A weather station really wouldn't be all that exciting to watch. Maybe that is why my son prefers watching the forecast in the paper? He does enjoying monitoring the fronts and seeing who is getting rain, snow, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 We bought this http://www.hometrainingtools.com/weather-study-kit/p/KT-WESTUDY/ when we studied Earth Science last year. We LOVED it! In fact the rain gauge is still in use. The snow froze and broke the glass rain gauge but I was able to call the company and order more for cheap. It was neat to make our own psychrometer. The barometer in the picture is different than ours. We got a round one that Dh custom cut a wood piece to hold and it's on my wall so I can see when the weather is changing and a storm is coming. So it's all stuff we still use over a year later and was well worth the money. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma2Many66 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 We recently purchased this weather station Click here: Amazon.com: Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station: Home & Garden it is pricey, but it had such great reviews and we wanted it for our meteorology program. My 11 year old son really wants to be an engineer someday, so we are working very hard in the math and science department. His main interest right now is weather and meteorology, so I wanted to find him a well made and serious weather station that would be great for a "budding weather enthusiast". It is fantastic !! We are really loving it for school, each morning we record charts and graphs of the weather using the data from the weather station. We then compare the recorded charts from week to week. It also has another component where the information from the weather station can be downloaded to a computer and the graphs and charts recorded on the computer for you. But that program cost an additional $150 dollars for that and we are having such fun recording it ourselves, that I am not planning that purchase at this time. My kids are all having a really good time with it ! We are reading weather related books, watching weather videos (storm chasers is fantastic ! ), using the weather station and charting weather which is all teaching my children all about various weather elements and weather tools and their purpose. They are also learning so much from just charting weather and understanding how weather works. This has made weather really exciting to learn for our whole family ! Again, it is pricey (we actually found it cheaper on another site for almost $60 dollars less where we purchased it; however, this site shows reviews of the product), but I saved up the money from our homeschooling fund and my selling on ebay fund to afford this purchase. I am very pleased with it, the kids are learning so much and my husband is having a ball with it, so I would purchase it again in a heartbeat ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 We did the SmartLab Weather Station and it was worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.