ð Oct. 30 - Snack Time: Learn about the moon phases with cookies!
Can you look up in the sky and tell the difference between a waning gibbous, waxing crescent or a third quarter moon? Here’s a fun and tasty activity to learn the different phases of the moon using cookies!
Thanks to NASA for the idea for this activity. How many cookies did you eat when you were creating the phases of the moon?
A rare celestial occurrence as a 'Super Blue Blood Moon' is seen at Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, Calf., Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
ð Oct. 30 - Weather Detectives! Case of the disappearing Halloween candy
We aren’t talking about how quickly you can eat the candy you amass this Halloween! If you have some extra treats left over when your stomach is filled (or if parents want an excuse to reduce kids’ Halloween candy stash), drop any sugar-coated candy in hot water and watch what happens:
The sugar disappeared right before your eyes! The hotter the water, the faster the sugar will dissolve.
ð Oct. 27 - Study Hall: Why are city alleyways so windy?
If you live in or have visited a city, you probably have felt a gust of wind when you passed by an alleyway between two big buildings. Why does that happen? Let’s grab some building blocks to find out:
So when the air gets squeezed between two buildings, it speeds up and anyone walking past the alleyway will feel that gust of wind.
The next time it is windy around your house, take a look at the weather map and see if there is an H (high pressure) and L (low pressure) not far from one another. Much like what happens between two buildings, it turns windier as the air gets squeezed between these two weather features. The stronger the H and L systems on the weather map are, the faster the wind will blow.
ð¬ Oct. 27 - Weather Lab: Make hand sanitizer dance?
All of us have been using hand sanitizer a lot more recently. While it works to keep us healthy, you can wow your friends with this neat trick:
How did AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls get the hand sanitizer to dance? The key is that hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol (and something you definitely don’t want to drink). Alcohol is less dense than water, meaning the alcohol will float and skim along the top of the water.
How does that relate to the weather? It demonstrates how warm and cold air can interact. Warm air is less dense than cold air. The denser cold air is basically the boss of the weather – it can push warm air up and out of the way, leading to rain, snow and thunderstorms.
â¹ï¸âï¸ Oct. 23 - Gym class: Make elephant toothpaste to learn about science!
We aren’t really making elephant toothpaste, but what AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls creates in this experiment looks like a tube of toothpaste big enough for an elephant!
For this experiment, you will need a water bottle, ½ cup of six-percent hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoons of dry yeast, 3 tablespoons of warm water, 1 tablespoon of dish soap and food coloring.
How does the elephant toothpaste form? The yeast causes the hydrogen peroxide to break down into oxygen and water. It doesn’t take a lot of hydrogen peroxide to generate a bunch of oxygen, which starts to rush out of the water bottle. The problem is that the soapy water traps the oxygen. That leads to bubbles and then the foam (or our elephant toothpaste!).
ð¬ Oct. 23 - Invention Station: Create your own wind vane
Last spring during AccuWeather School, we learned how to make a windsock – that wasn’t a sock to keep your feet warm from chilly winds. A windsock can tell you how strong winds are blowing and from which direction.
So what is the difference between that and a wind vane? Let’s make one and find out:
A wind vane points in the direction that the wind is blowing from. Knowing that, you can talk like a meteorologist – if the wind vane is pointing toward the north, you will say that it’s a northerly wind. If you want to say where the wind is headed, add “-ward” at the end. In this case, a northerly wind (from the north) is equal to a southward wind (toward the south).
No matter whether the wind is blowing toward or away from you, be sure to hold onto your hat if it’s windy enough!
â ï¸ Oct. 20 - Cloud scavenger hunt: This cumulus cloud won’t grow into a thunderstorm
You may already know that the puffy cumulus clouds that look like cotton balls in the sky can grow into big thunderstorm clouds, known as cumulonimbus clouds.
That doesn’t happen all of the time – some days, cumulus clouds look like only one or two layers of cotton balls piled on top of each other and stop growing after that. If all the ingredients for a thunderstorm are in place, the cumulus cloud will continue to grow into a thunderstorm and tower high in the sky.
Did you know that there are other cumulus clouds in the sky? One is called altocumulus and will never become a thunderstorm. What does this cousin to a cumulus cloud look like? Let’s go on a cloud scavenger hunt to find out:
ð¨ Oct. 20 - Art Class: Make a pretty cloud collage
Let’s get artistic and make a pretty picture based on the four common types of clouds that you will see in the sky – even one that can cover the top of skyscrapers!
All you need for this art activity is a piece of construction paper (any color will do, but think about what color the sky is), cotton balls, glue (glue sticks tend to work best) and a marker:
After you are done, label the different clouds and put your artwork on the fridge!
Additional experiments and reporting by Jason Nicholls.
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News / AccuWeather Ready
AccuWeather School Fall Semester: Weeks 8-9
By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Jan 10, 2021 3:33 PM EST
ð Oct. 30 - Snack Time: Learn about the moon phases with cookies!
Can you look up in the sky and tell the difference between a waning gibbous, waxing crescent or a third quarter moon? Here’s a fun and tasty activity to learn the different phases of the moon using cookies!
Thanks to NASA for the idea for this activity. How many cookies did you eat when you were creating the phases of the moon?
In the video above, Krissy used the cookies to make a ”ring of fire” solar eclipse. If we wanted to create a lunar eclipse doing this activity, we would need cookies with red or orange cream inside since the moon turns a rusty orange or dark red during a total lunar eclipse.
A rare celestial occurrence as a 'Super Blue Blood Moon' is seen at Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, Calf., Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
ð Oct. 30 - Weather Detectives! Case of the disappearing Halloween candy
We aren’t talking about how quickly you can eat the candy you amass this Halloween! If you have some extra treats left over when your stomach is filled (or if parents want an excuse to reduce kids’ Halloween candy stash), drop any sugar-coated candy in hot water and watch what happens:
The sugar disappeared right before your eyes! The hotter the water, the faster the sugar will dissolve.
This demonstrates a principle about how warmer water can affect the weather: The warmer the water is means that there is more “fuel” in the ocean for hurricanes and in the Great Lakes for lake-effect snow.
ð Oct. 27 - Study Hall: Why are city alleyways so windy?
If you live in or have visited a city, you probably have felt a gust of wind when you passed by an alleyway between two big buildings. Why does that happen? Let’s grab some building blocks to find out:
So when the air gets squeezed between two buildings, it speeds up and anyone walking past the alleyway will feel that gust of wind.
The next time it is windy around your house, take a look at the weather map and see if there is an H (high pressure) and L (low pressure) not far from one another. Much like what happens between two buildings, it turns windier as the air gets squeezed between these two weather features. The stronger the H and L systems on the weather map are, the faster the wind will blow.
ð¬ Oct. 27 - Weather Lab: Make hand sanitizer dance?
All of us have been using hand sanitizer a lot more recently. While it works to keep us healthy, you can wow your friends with this neat trick:
How did AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls get the hand sanitizer to dance? The key is that hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol (and something you definitely don’t want to drink). Alcohol is less dense than water, meaning the alcohol will float and skim along the top of the water.
How does that relate to the weather? It demonstrates how warm and cold air can interact. Warm air is less dense than cold air. The denser cold air is basically the boss of the weather – it can push warm air up and out of the way, leading to rain, snow and thunderstorms.
â¹ï¸âï¸ Oct. 23 - Gym class: Make elephant toothpaste to learn about science!
We aren’t really making elephant toothpaste, but what AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls creates in this experiment looks like a tube of toothpaste big enough for an elephant!
For this experiment, you will need a water bottle, ½ cup of six-percent hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoons of dry yeast, 3 tablespoons of warm water, 1 tablespoon of dish soap and food coloring.
How does the elephant toothpaste form? The yeast causes the hydrogen peroxide to break down into oxygen and water. It doesn’t take a lot of hydrogen peroxide to generate a bunch of oxygen, which starts to rush out of the water bottle. The problem is that the soapy water traps the oxygen. That leads to bubbles and then the foam (or our elephant toothpaste!).
ð¬ Oct. 23 - Invention Station: Create your own wind vane
Last spring during AccuWeather School, we learned how to make a windsock – that wasn’t a sock to keep your feet warm from chilly winds. A windsock can tell you how strong winds are blowing and from which direction.
So what is the difference between that and a wind vane? Let’s make one and find out:
A wind vane points in the direction that the wind is blowing from. Knowing that, you can talk like a meteorologist – if the wind vane is pointing toward the north, you will say that it’s a northerly wind. If you want to say where the wind is headed, add “-ward” at the end. In this case, a northerly wind (from the north) is equal to a southward wind (toward the south).
No matter whether the wind is blowing toward or away from you, be sure to hold onto your hat if it’s windy enough!
â ï¸ Oct. 20 - Cloud scavenger hunt: This cumulus cloud won’t grow into a thunderstorm
You may already know that the puffy cumulus clouds that look like cotton balls in the sky can grow into big thunderstorm clouds, known as cumulonimbus clouds.
That doesn’t happen all of the time – some days, cumulus clouds look like only one or two layers of cotton balls piled on top of each other and stop growing after that. If all the ingredients for a thunderstorm are in place, the cumulus cloud will continue to grow into a thunderstorm and tower high in the sky.
Did you know that there are other cumulus clouds in the sky? One is called altocumulus and will never become a thunderstorm. What does this cousin to a cumulus cloud look like? Let’s go on a cloud scavenger hunt to find out:
ð¨ Oct. 20 - Art Class: Make a pretty cloud collage
Let’s get artistic and make a pretty picture based on the four common types of clouds that you will see in the sky – even one that can cover the top of skyscrapers!
All you need for this art activity is a piece of construction paper (any color will do, but think about what color the sky is), cotton balls, glue (glue sticks tend to work best) and a marker:
After you are done, label the different clouds and put your artwork on the fridge!
Additional experiments and reporting by Jason Nicholls.
Previously:
AccuWeather School Fall Semester: Weeks 6-7
AccuWeather School Fall Semester: Weeks 4-5
AccuWeather School Fall Semester: Weeks 2-3
AccuWeather School Fall Semester: Week 1
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 13
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 12
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 11
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 10
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 9
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 8
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 7
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 6
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 5
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 4
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 3
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 2
AccuWeather Summer Camp: Week 1
AccuWeather School: Week 1
AccuWeather School: Week 2
AccuWeather School: Week 3
AccuWeather School: Week 4
AccuWeather School: Week 5
AccuWeather School: Week 6
AccuWeather School: Week 7
AccuWeather School: Week 8
AccuWeather School: Week 9