I don’t know about you, but I check the weather app on my phone every single day. Sometimes, I’ll check multiple times.
But, do you ever share this habit with your kids? You should. It’s a great way to learn.
There’s more you can do than just simply checking in the weather. Check out these fun ways to learn with a daily weather report.
This simple STEM activity is fun and requires absolutely no prep time!
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Five Ways to Learn with a Daily Weather Report
Compare temperatures
Use your math skills to discover the difference in temperatures. Find the difference between a day’s high temperature and its low temperature.
For example: Today’s high is 88 degrees and the low is 59 degrees. I use subtraction to find the difference. There will be a 29 degree difference today!
You could compare temperatures over the week. Record the temperature at the same time everyday. For example: What was the temperature at 3:00 pm every day? Find the temperature difference over the week. Find the difference between the week’s highest temperature and the lowest temperature. Or, simply find the difference between Monday’s 3:00 pm temperature and Tuesday’s 3:00 pm difference.
Learn to read a radar
Nowadays, we carry a weather report around in our pocket and can access it anytime. Because of that, I consider it a life skill to be able to click on the radar and know what it is telling you.
Do you know what all the colors mean? Do you know how to make the radar move and understand what it tells you?
Share this information with your kids and teach them how to understand what you’re seeing on the radar.
Note: You will want to pick a rainy or snowy day for this. There’s not much to see on the radar on a clear day!
Learn about predictions
Weather forecasting is all about making predictions. But, these predictions are pulled out of thin air, they’re based on a lot of information like weather patterns, radars, climate, and more.
You can learn more with one of these informative books:
Weather Forecasting by Gail Gibbons
Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons
What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt
Or, you can try this activity to learn more about weather prediction. Record the weather first thing in the morning. At the end of the day, go back to this prediction. Was the weather forecast correct? What changed?
Next look at the extended forecast and find the prediction for three days from now and five days from now. Was the forecast correct? What changed? Can you come up with some reasons why?
Use the weather report to plan the week
How does the weather report help you plan for the day or for the week? It can tell you whether you need to wear a winter coat or a light jacket. Or whether or not you need to grab an umbrella.
Are you planning a trip to the pool? Sit down with your kids and the extended forecast and have them help you pick the best day to go.
Look at the weather report before picking out your clothes for the next day. How did the weather report help you plan?
Other weather report activities
What else can you learn with a daily weather report?
You can find all sorts of information: rain totals, wind speed, air pressure, pollen count, etc.
You can look up cities around the world and see how it is different from what where you live.
Can you come up with some more ways to learn with a daily weather report?
You may also like one of these fun STEM activities:
Melting Crayons Science Activity
Melting Snow Science Experiment
What Causes Storms? Science Experiment at Frogs-and-Fairies
Learn More With a Book About the Weather
Combine this weather activity with a fun book to learn even more. Here are some great weather books that I’d recommend:
Do want more STEM activities?
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