It’s hurricane season! A few weeks ago all we heard about in the DC area was hurricane Florence and now, Hurricane Michael is approaching. It’s not uncommon for us to get a few hurricanes a year, but this is the first year that Aiden is aware of the storms. He has been really into weather lately from rain clouds and thunderstorms to bright sunny days he loves looking into the sky and telling us about the weather. We have been taking advantage of his weather interests by creating fun weather activities for kids that we can do with him. Since it’s hurricane season, and a top-of-mind weather phenomenon, we took some time this weekend to teach Aiden about some of the high-level hurricane features like clouds, wind, rain, and waves! Here are three fun and easy weather activities for kids focused on hurricanes.
Weather Activities for Kids: 3 Fun Hurricane Activities
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Making Clouds
This is a simple activity that requires very few materials. You likely have everything you need at home! This was definitely Aiden’s favorite hurricane inspired activity and he asks every day if he can make clouds š
Supplies:
- >Mason Jar
- Warm water
- >Dry Shampoo (or hairspray)
- Ice cubes
- >Blue food coloring (optional)
Steps:
1. Fill 1/4 of the mason jar with warm water.
2. Add blue food coloring (optional — it simulates the color of the sky and makes the clouds a little easier to see).
3. Spray dry shampoo in the mason jar and quickly cover the jar.
4. Add ice cubes to the top of the jar.
5. Watch clouds form!
Making Waves
Have you ever been to the beach before or after a hurricane? Growing up in RI, it’s something we did (once the storm was a safe distance away of course) and I remember how gigantic the waves were. We thought it would be cool to show Aiden how waves work.
Supplies:
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- Mason Jar or soda bottle
- Baby oil
- Water
- Blue food coloring
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Steps:
1. Fill 2/3 of the jar with baby oil.
2. Fill the remaining 1/3 of the jar with water.
3. Add a few drops of food coloring. We used blue.
4. Close the jar. You will see the oil and water separate.
5. Move the jar back and forth to see the waves.
Here is a quick video of the two weather activities:
How to Make a Rain Catcher
I think it’s important to note that we are not getting a major hurricane where we live. We are forecasted to just get rain and possible isolated thunderstorms. If we were getting a true hurricane we probably wouldn’t keep our rain catcher outside! This rain catcher is a fun way to see how much rain we get and we can use the rainwater for our plants once the rain is over!
Supplies:
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- Funnel
- Mason Jar
- Tubing
- Duck tape
- Paint (optional)
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Instructions:
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- We had Aiden paint the mason jar with clouds and raindrops for some added fun, but this is an optional step!
- Attach the tubing to funnel with duck tape.
- Attach the funnel to something outside to catch the rain. We hung ours on our balcony railing.
- Place the tubing in the mason jar. We taped our mason jar to the balcony to make sure if we did get any wind it wouldn’t go anywhere.
- Periodically check the mason jar to see how much rain you get!
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Weather Books for Kids:
I am no science or weather expert so I always rely on books to help explain things like storms and hurricanes. Here are some fun books I found about the subject that we have been reading to Aiden.
>Eye of the Storm: A Book About Hurricanes
>Little Critter: Just a Big Storm
>The Bears in the Bed and the Great Big Storm
What do you think of these hurricane inspired toddler activities? Have you tried any of these or done other weather activities for kids? I would love to hear about it in the comments!
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If you liked this post check out Four Super Fun Educational Activities for Toddlers to do Outside and An Easy Personalized Candle Gift that Toddlers Can Make.
