Science Saturday

We’ve had two straight days of sunny, warm weather; a very unusual phenomena in our neck of the woods for this time of year.  So, naturally, we spent the afternoon inside making rain.  That’s right.  WE MADE RAIN!  And you can too.  Here’s how:

Get a wide-mouthed clear glass vessel that can withstand high heat.  We used an old canning jar from the garage.

Fill the jar about 1/3 full with boiling water.

Top the jar with a plate made of porous material.  We used a plain-old everyday china plate.  Add ice cubes to the plate and wait. 

Almost immediately, condensation will build up on the sides of the jar. 

Within 2 minutes drops should form on the bottom of the plate and splash down into the reservoir of hot water below.  Voila: you’ve made rain!

Prior to conducting the experiment, we read Down Came the Rain, a book from the “Let's-Read-and-Find-Out” Science Series.   The book explains the water cycle and covers topics ranging from evaporation to cloud formation to hail and rain.  We talked about how rain is formed when warm air rises from the surface of the earth and meets cooler air in the atmosphere. 

We asked our kiddo to draw a picture of rain clouds and label the warm and cool air.  Here’s what she drew:

I love the details in this drawing:  the grey clouds, the rain puddling at the bottom of the page, the dots of sand on ground.  At the top of the page (though not included here) she wrote her name and the date.  She did a fantastic job labeling the “cood” (cold) and “woom” (warm) air.  She even included arrows in to indicate which space in the atmosphere each temperature occupies. 

What is so cool about this drawing is that it is clearly intended to convey factual information.  There is nary a rainbow in sight, nor are there any princesses or fairies lurking about.   This picture –though colorful- is all business.  I like that.  How often do kiddos have the opportunity to be experts and to share their knowledge of the world that goes beyond personal narrative in their writing? 

It’s important to keep in mind here that the point of this experience is not that Kindergarten Kiddo will have a complete working knowledge of the water cycle, but rather that she gets the opportunity to explore those big questions that she (and all kids her age) grapples with.  She had the chance to be a scientist: to make predictions, to conduct an experiment, to record what she saw, and to document what she learned. 

This week, we explored her question, “Where does rain come from?”  Next we’ll tackle “Why is the sky blue?” then perhaps we’ll explore “How can the sun be a star if I can see it during the day but not at night?”  But for now, I think we’ll get outside and enjoy what’s left of the sunshine.