Rain gauge and animal pairs, a rainy-day double
A rainy day is the best day to start measuring rain. Build a gauge, set it out, play animal pairs, then check how much fell.
- Time
- 1 hr
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 4 to 10
- Where
- Kitchen table and an open spot outside
What you need
- A clear jar or plastic container with straight sides, label removed
- A ruler, a strip of paper about an inch wide, and clear tape
- A brick, block of wood or a few rocks to keep the gauge from tipping
- 16 to 24 index cards or paper squares, and markers or crayons
- A notebook page for the rain log
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.
Steps
- Make the ruler strip. Cut an inch-wide paper strip as tall as the jar. Mark inches and quarter inches from the bottom.
- Tape it to the jar. Tape the strip to the jar, bottom edge to bottom edge, then cover it all in clear tape.
- Set it out in the open. Set it in an open spot away from trees and buildings, propped with rocks so wind can't tip it.
- Draw the animal pairs. Pick 8 to 12 animals and draw each one on two cards to make matching pairs.
- Play animal pairs. Lay cards face down. Flip two per turn. Keep matches and go again; otherwise flip back. Most pairs wins.
- Read the rain and log it. Read the water level against the strip, write the date and amount, then empty the jar and set it back.
If 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.
Pairs found · inches of rain
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date