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Instant Wind Storm

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The GIANT Encyclopedia of Science Activities for Children 3 to 6

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The GIANT Encyclopedia of Science Activities for Children 3 to 6

Materials

  • Weather pictures, optional 
  • Table fan
  • Chalkboard and chalk or chart paper and marker 
  • Pinwheels
  • Collection of things, such as a rock, stick, feather, ball, leaf, hat, paper, toy car, tissue

 

What to do

1. Talk about the weather. Ask the children what they like most and what they like least.

2. You may wish to have some pictures of weather: a rainy day, a sunny day at the beach, lightning, snowy winter day, a tornado, a hurricane, etc. (Weather can be a scary thing for children, so remember to keep it fun.)

3. Ask the children: What does the wind sound like? Do you feel the wind inside?

4. Tell the children that you brought some wind with you today, and show them the table fan. It's not really wind, but it blows air like wind.

5. Turn the fan on low and let it blow the children's faces. Ask them how it makes them feel. Note: Supervise closely. Be sure to remind children not to touch or get too close to the fan.

6. Explain how wind can make things move and demonstrate with a pinwheel. Each child may wish to have a turn at this activity.

7. Demonstrate what else the wind can move by setting the fan on a table. One at a time set items from your collection on the table and let the children predict whether each will move when the fan is turned on.

8. Record your results by sorting items that move and don't move. List items on the chalkboard or chart paper.

 

More to do

Art: Paint by blowing paint on paper using a straw. * Make pinwheels, windsocks or kites.

Games: For fun, take some pillow feathers outside or in a large open area and see if the children can keep them in the air by blowing them or by fanning them with their hands. Balloons can also be used. * Let children blow Ping-Pong balls from one end of a table to the other.

 

-Mark Crouse, Nava Scotia, Canada

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