Friday 21 September 2012

How to make a thunderstorm in your kitchen

And it's not as dangerous as it sounds! It is actually an experiment to see how the warm and cold fronts interact. We have been having some cracking thunderstorms recently so this was a great little experiment to do.
I have written it out as a PDF (below) for you print out. It has the full instructions and I also included a section so you (the child) can record what happens.

Fill a clear container about 2/3 full with lukewarm water. let it sit for a minute or two. Then add a blue ice-cube at one end of the container and a few drops of red food colour at the other end. Watch what happens.


The blue water should sink, pushing the red water up.



Looking from the side of the box gives a better view, the purple, mixed water is where the thunderstorm would take place, the purple shows the unstable air. It is a pretty neat experiment because trying to explain this concept to a child is quite difficult, with the water they can see exactly how the air moves. When you do this though, explain that there is not going to be big bangs and flashes of lightning!


Download the PDF HERE, I have more of these experiments so I will share them as we do them.

***UPDATE*** the full booklet of experiments can be downloaded over on MOC HERE.
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7 comments:

  1. Wow! Thank you, Jo! This will answer Iki's question about thunderstorm :-)

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    1. I think I enjoyed this as much as ebi-kun!
      I forgot to write in the post but it is a good idea to ask them to predict what they think will happen.

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  2. Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in Creative Busy Bee Craft Inspirations, under the Page 1 post on Sep. 21, 2012. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBB Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, under the Page 2 post on Sep. 21, 2012. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks so fun and easy! Gonna try this with my kids over the summer! Also pinned!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      I made up a pack with all the experiments in it, you can download it from my website here
      http://www.my-organized-chaos.com/2012/11/21/7-fun-weather-experiments-to-do-at-home/

      Delete
  5. This looks awesome and easy, which makes it extra awesome! Definitely gonna try this with my kids this summer!
    Ang

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