My kids love checking the weather each morning. They memorize the forecast and then quote the percentages of rain to us all day so I knew they would love making a cloud in a bottle!
Before we started we talked about how clouds are made of little droplets of water or ice in the air. When warm air rises, like in the wind experiment we did, it expands and cools. As it does it can’t hold as much water vapor and some of the droplets condense stick together on tiny particles of dust or smoke in the air.
To show how clouds are formed I poured hot water into an empty plastic bottle and put the top on. I filled it up about 1/3 of the way full. A little bit of condensation formed inside of the bottle so I swirled the water around on the sides to make sure we could see into the bottle.
I squeezed it a couple of times and then took off the top and added a lit match. Once there was smoke inside the bottle a cloud formed! It happens very quickly and we weren’t able to get a photo of it, but the kids were very impressed. We did it three times and could only get a cloud to form twice so if you try it don’t give up if it doesn’t work the first time!
If your kids love weather too then you are in luck! I’m teaming up with Inspiration Laboratories, Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, and Learn Play Imagine to bring you three days of science activities this week. Today we are all sharing weather themed ideas and will be back on Wednesday featuring liquid activities and on Friday with some flower science fun!
Observing Conduction: Weather for Kids from Learn Play Imagine
Make a Hurricane from Inspiration Laboratories
Exploring the Effects of Hot and Cold Air from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
Carolyn says
August 5, 2013 at 9:06 amFun activity! I love that they quote the rain percentages!
Megan Sheakoski says
August 5, 2013 at 2:57 pmAll day long! It secretly drives visitors crazy hearing about the chances of rain while they are here on vacation! No one likes to think about rain except for the kids! Ha!
Trisha @ Inspiration Laboratories says
August 5, 2013 at 9:11 amThere’s just something awesome about capturing a cloud.
Megan Sheakoski says
August 5, 2013 at 2:57 pmIt was super cool!
Allison says
August 6, 2013 at 10:34 pmWe really need to try this! My kids would love it.
Megan Sheakoski says
August 8, 2013 at 6:00 pmIt was actually much cooler than I remembered!
kewkew says
August 10, 2013 at 2:05 pmVery cool. Thanks for sharing
Megan Sheakoski says
August 10, 2013 at 2:31 pmIt is definitely one to try! If it doesn’t work the first time don’t give up–the result is worth it!
michelle says
March 30, 2014 at 4:11 pmGonna try this with my 8 and 4 yr old! They love stuff like this!
Diane says
February 28, 2015 at 2:56 pmWould like to read an try some experiments with my grandson