*Note: Remember to always have adult supervision during our lessons.

Thermometers are an important part of forecasting weather. A thermometer measures how cold or hot something is. They can come in many different forms but essentially, they are glass tubes that contain a liquid, usually mercury or alcohol. That liquid expands with warm temperatures or contracts with cold temperatures. As the liquid responds to the heat or cold, it moves up or down the tube and the temperature can be read from the scale.

Knowing the temperature of the air is very important, especially in Western New York. During the summer, temperature controls what people wear and the activities that they do. In the winter, temperature is even more important. When precipitation is brewing, if the temperature is below freezing, that will come down in the form of snow. If it’s just about freezing, sleet is possible, and if it’s warmer rain will fall.

In this activity, children will create a thermometer that can be left inside or outside and will be able to tell what the temperature is outside and if temperatures will be warming or cooling. Here’s what you will need:

  • A clear bottle (glass)
  • A straw
  • Food coloring
  • Water (½ Cup)
  • Rubbing alcohol (½ Cup)
  • Modeling clay

To begin, fill the bottle with the ½ cup of water, the ½ cup of alcohol, and a few drops of food coloring. The color does not matter so allow your child to play around to create whatever color they choose. This could double up as a lesson in primary and secondary colors if you’d like.

After that, mix the solution together. You will then insert your straw into the bottle. You want to make sure that the straw doesn’t fall through or touch the bottom. Afterward, you can put the modeling clay around the top to hold the straw in place. This will require someone to hold the straw up as you put the clay around the top. Following these steps will allow you to complete the thermometer.

In order to test out your finished product and are too anxious to wait for warmer or colder days, you can use a blow dryer to warm up the liquid inside the bottle. The opposite will work as well. Use an ice pack to cool down the liquid. This will allow the water to rise and then fall.

You can put this experiment/craft outside and it will last throughout the elements and will bring some fun for some time. Every day you could allow your children to go outside and record whether or not the temperature is cooler or warmer in a homemade weather journal. You can also have them add if there is cloud cover or not, whether it’s raining or not, etc.

Have fun! And be sure to take the quiz below!