A clear jar or plastic container with straight sides, label removedHave
A ruler, a strip of paper about an inch wide, and clear tapeHave
A brick, block of wood or a few rocks to keep the gauge from tippingFree
16 to 24 index cards or paper squares, and markers or crayonsHave
A notebook page for the rain logHave
Where: Build and play at the table; set the gauge in an open part of the yard, away from trees, the house and the street.
Before you start
Thunder means inside. If you hear thunder, set the gauge out later. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out.
Plastic beats glass with young kids. If you use a glass jar, Dad carries it outside and sets it down.
Away from the street. Put the gauge in the yard, not by the curb or driveway where you'd stand near cars to check it.
Dad cuts. Grown-up scissors for the paper strip; kids draw and tape.
02Steps
Make the ruler strip
Dad showsKid copiesCut a paper strip about an inch wide and as tall as the jar. Line a ruler up with the bottom of the strip and mark every inch, then every quarter inch. Let your kid write the numbers.
Tape it to the jar
KidLine the bottom of the strip up with the bottom of the jar and tape it on. Then cover the whole strip with clear tape so the rain doesn't wash the marks off. The sides must be straight, top to bottom, or the reading will be wrong.
Set it out in the open
TogetherPick a spot away from trees, the house and anything tall, which can throw off the reading. Set the jar on level ground and pile rocks or a brick around it, or set it in a hole, so wind can't knock it over.
Draw the animal pairs
TogetherBack inside, pick 8 to 12 animals. Each animal goes on two cards, as close to the same as you can draw them. Simple is fine: a fish, a snake, a turtle. Little kids can do stickers or just colors.
Play animal pairs
TogetherShuffle the cards and lay them face down in rows. Take turns flipping two. A match means you keep the pair and go again; no match, flip them back. Make the animal's noise when you find a pair. Play until the cards run out, then play again.
Read the rain and log it
KidAfter the rain, or the next morning, bring the jar in and read where the water reaches on the strip. Write the date and the amount in the rain log, then empty the jar and set it back out. Keep a running total for the month.
03If it stalls
If no rain falls today, set the gauge out anyway and check it after the next storm. The game still works today.
If the cards are too many for a young kid, play with six pairs face up first, then flip them down.
If the reading falls between marks, call it the closer one. The Weather Service reads to a hundredth of an inch, but a quarter inch is plenty here.
If losing a round upsets them, play as one team against the clock, or count total pairs found together.
04Variations
Ages 4–5
Mark only whole inches with a big line, and play pairs with six animals. They're in charge of making each animal's noise.
Ages 6–8
The full plan. Add a rain log on the fridge and guess each storm's amount before you check.
Ages 9–10
Mark tenths of an inch, keep a month's total, and compare a week of your readings with the local forecast's rainfall.
RainThe best day for it. Set the gauge out first so it starts filling while you play.
ClearBuild the gauge and play the game; the gauge waits for the next rain.
ColdBring the gauge in before a hard freeze so ice doesn't crack it.
A field card like this one for the weekend, one quick plan for a weeknight. Nothing else. The first letter hasn't gone out yet. You'll get one email to confirm.
Noah and the animals, two by twoGenesis 6–9 · 5 min
Long ago, the world had gone wrong, and God told a man named Noah to build a huge wooden boat called an ark. Noah built it the way God told him to. Then the animals came.
"There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah." Genesis 7:9 (KJV)
Rain fell for forty days and forty nights, and the water covered everything. Noah, his family and the animals waited inside the ark a long time. When the water started going down, Noah sent out a dove, and it came back with an olive leaf in its beak. At last they all walked out onto dry land, and God put a rainbow in the sky as a promise that a flood would never cover the whole earth again.
"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13 (KJV)
Ask while you wait for the rain: Noah had to wait a long time inside the ark. What's hard about waiting? What's something you're waiting for right now?
Plain-language retelling. Quotes from the King James Version (public domain).
06Sources
How to make a rain gauge. NOAA's lesson uses any straight-sided clear container with the label removed and a one-inch paper strip marked with a ruler, taped on and covered in tape. Set it in an open spot away from trees and tall objects, keep it from tipping, record the date and amount, and empty it after each reading. The National Weather Service measures rain in 0.01-inch amounts. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Checked Oct 15, 2026
Thunder and going back outside. The National Weather Service says "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors" and to wait 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder before going back outside. National Weather Service Checked Oct 15, 2026
