Weather Chart Science Experiment

Channel your child's inner Al Roker with this at-home weather tracker!

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

Don't rely on the Groundhog to tell you whether winter's over—have your kid do it! Encourage her to set up a little science experiment at home to chart the temperature as it rises. Explain to her that with every degree it goes up, the closer she is to summer vacation!

Micro meteorologist:
Your child.
A thermometer:
One that measures outside temperatures, not your kid's fever. Check your garden supply store or pick up a cheap one from Yard Lover.
Graph paper, a ruler and markers:
For an old-school handmade chart.
A computer and printer:
To create a high-tech chart.
A calendar:
To create the "date" axis of the graph.

To begin, have your little meteorologist design her weather chart. The Y axis is the vertical one. The X axis is the horizontal one. The dates go on the X axis and the temperatures go on the Y axis. She can either make a simple line chart by hand on graph paper, or she can make a high-tech one online with a Graph Making Program.
Next, she should select the minimum and maximum values for the axes and divide the grid into equal segments. In other words, on the X axis she should mark the days she is doing the experiment. We suggest 30 days.
On the Y axis she should mark the minimum and maximum temperature values. Depending on where you live, this can be anywhere from 0 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once she's completed her chart, she should hang it up near the back door and get ready to get down and nerdy!
Have her place an outdoor thermometer just outside the back door.
Then every morning (or afternoon—it doesn't matter when, as long as it's around the same time every day) she should take a peek at the thermometer and note the temperature and mark it on her graph.
If she does this every day for a month or two, as winter gives way to spring, she'll be able to see a definite rise in the temperature on her graph.