Our Week in the Clouds

We had a lot of fun with this unit. Even though we called it a cloud unit, learning about clouds is really a lesson in the entire water cycle—evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Before kids can understand how clouds form, it helps to understand how water moves through the environment, constantly changing from liquid to vapor and back again.

Through experiments, building projects, and hands-on activities, the kids were able to see these processes in action instead of just reading about them.

Building the Water Cycle

We started by learning about the water cycle. Before talking about clouds, I wanted the kids to understand where rain actually comes from and how water moves through the environment.

To help make it stick, the kids created their own water cycle diagrams. My daughter used air-dry clay for hers, while my son had his own idea and decided to build his diagram using Legos instead. It was a good reminder that kids learn best when they can create in their own way.

Jar Experiments That Show the Water Cycle

To help the kids really understand what was happening in the water cycle, we did three simple jar experiments that demonstrated evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Evaporation Experiment

We started with evaporation. I filled a glass jar with water and added a few drops of blue food coloring so it would be easier to see the water level. Then we placed the jar by a sunny window and left it there for about two weeks.

Every few days the kids checked the jar and marked the water level. By the end of the two weeks, the jar had slowly lost about half an inch of water. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was enough for the kids to see that the water was slowly evaporating into the air.

Materials

• Clear glass jar

• Water

• Blue food coloring

Instructions

1. Fill a clear jar about one-quarter full with water.

2. Add a few drops of blue food coloring.

3. Place the jar in a sunny window.

4. Observe the water level over the next two weeks.

5. Mark the water level occasionally to see how it slowly decreases.

Condensation Experiment

Next we looked at condensation. For this experiment, we filled a jar about a quarter of the way with warm water. I placed ice cubes on top of the lid so the top of the jar became very cold.

Then I lit a match, blew it out, quickly dropped it into the jar, and sealed the lid. Almost immediately a small cloud formed inside the jar. This happened because the warm water created water vapor and the cold lid caused that vapor to cool and condense into tiny droplets, forming a cloud.

Materials

• Clear glass jar

• Warm water

• Ice cubes

• Match

• Lid

Instructions

1. Fill the jar about one-quarter full with warm water.

2. Place the lid upside down on top and add a few ice cubes to the lid.

3. Light a match, blow it out, and quickly drop it into the jar.

4. Immediately seal the jar with the lid.

5. Watch as a small cloud forms inside the jar.

Precipitation Experiment (Cloud in a Jar)

Finally, we demonstrated precipitation with a cloud-in-a-jar experiment.

We filled a jar with water and sprayed a thick layer of shaving cream on top to represent a cloud. Then we used a syringe to slowly drop blue-colored water onto the shaving cream.

At first the shaving cream held the water, but once it became too saturated, the blue water began dripping through into the jar like rain. This helped show how real clouds hold tiny droplets of water until they become too heavy, and gravity pulls them down as precipitation.

Materials

• Clear jar

• Water

• Shaving cream

• Blue food coloring

• Small bowl

• Syringe or dropper

Instructions

1. Fill a clear jar about a quarter full with water.

2. Spray shaving cream on top to create a cloud.

3. Mix blue food coloring with a little water in a bowl.

4. Use a syringe or dropper to slowly add the colored water onto the shaving cream.

5. Watch as the water eventually drips through the shaving cream like rain.

Cloud Dough for Hands-On Play

For a more hands-on activity—and to include my toddler—we made cloud dough using cornstarch, food coloring, and hair conditioner. The texture is soft and fluffy, almost like a moldable cloud. While the older kids talked about real clouds, my toddler was perfectly happy squishing and shaping her “clouds” at the table.

Materials

• 2 cups cornstarch

• 1 cup hair conditioner

• Food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. Add the cornstarch to a bowl.

2. Mix in the hair conditioner.

3. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.

4. Mix until the dough becomes soft and fluffy.

5. Adjust the texture by adding more cornstarch or conditioner if needed.

Making a Simple Cloud Spotter

To wrap up the unit, we made a simple cloud spotter for outdoor observation. I cut a square out of the middle of a piece of cardboard and attached pictures underneath showing three common cloud types: cumulus, stratus, and cirrus.

The kids could hold the frame up to the sky and try to match the clouds they saw with the pictures. To be honest this looked a lot cooler than it really was. Maybe your kids will enjoy it but my kids were over it pretty quickly.

What Kids Learn From This Cloud Unit

This unit introduces several important science concepts in a way kids can see and touch.

Kids learn:

• How the water cycle works

• How evaporation, condensation, and precipitation happen

• Why clouds form

• How to identify cumulus, stratus, and cirrus clouds

• How to practice scientific observation by studying the sky

Most importantly, the hands-on activities helped turn big science concepts into something kids could actually experience.