Windy Weather Fun

Spring is finally here (sort of), and with it comes lots of windy weather. Try out this fun and easy activity with your kids to teach them a little bit about what wind can tell us! A kid-friendly wind vane!

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You Will Need:
- A round container that comes with a lid. This could be a yogurt container, a plastic cup, or any other food storage container.
- Sand or small pebbles
- A pencil with eraser on the end
- 1 straight drinking straw
- 1 pin
- A heavy type of paper, such as card stock or Bristol board
- A permanent marker
- A compass
- Clay or silly putty
- Glue

Step 1: Place the plastic container, with the lid snapped on, on a piece of the heavy paper upside down (the lid directly on the paper)
Step 2: Using the marker, trace around the container, and then draw another circle around the one you have just made that is about 2 inches wider
Step 3: Divide the two circles into four equal sections, and label "North", "South", "East", and "West" accordingly
Step 4: Remove the container from the paper, take off the lid and place a small blob of the clay/silly putty at the bottom of the container
Step 5: Fill the remainder of the container with the sand/small pebbles, and put the lid back on. Make sure the lid is tightly secured.
Step 6: Glue the container to the paper base in the same spot it was just in previously. Make sure the container is upside down (lid directly on the paper)
Step 7: Poke the pencil through the top of the container, so that it is sticking out from the top
Step 8: Using a new piece of the heavy paper, cut out a triangle and a square
Step 9: Cut a slit at each end of the straw in order to slide in both shapes at either end
Step 10: Use the pin attach the straw to the eraser of the pencil. Make sure the straw is pinned in the middle
Step 11: Take your wind dial outside to experiment with! To see what direction the wind is blowing, use the compass to set up the arrow pointing north, and then when a breeze comes you'll be able to tell where from!

For more information, see: http://www.education.com/activity/article/wind_vane_first/