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Weather Stations

Schoolyard weather stations are a cinch to build using the instructions from two outstanding museums.

Miami Museum of Science

Follow the Miami Science Museum's step-by-step directions for making a barometer, rain gauge, anemometer, psychrometer, wind streamer, and wind chimes. Print the rainfall and temperature graphs to use with data collection. Study the science behind the instruments through a series of problem-solving experiments. A teacher's guide on hurricanes is being field tested, but you can browse the table of contents.

Franklin Science Institute

A little more skill is required to make some of the instruments at the Franklin Science Institute. You'll also need a weatherproof box when placing the instruments outdoors. Directions and materials are listed for keeping a weather journal, barometer, hygrometer, rain gauge, weather vane, and compass. Special features include the history and science of radar, lightning, and satellites. QuickTime movies demonstrate a variety of weather events. Rounding out the unit is a hotlist of weather sites.

What is a weather station like and how can I use this data in the classroom?

Ken Bland, Head of Wider Schools’ Workforce Development, University of Northampton and Christina Fairless, Environmental Sciences Technician, University of Northampton.

The aim of this article is focus on what a real weather station is like and to examine how schools can get and use real weather data for use in their classroom.

Weather Instruments

American Weather Enterprises
Automated Weather Source
Davis Instruments
Maximum, Inc.
Weather Store

For those who want to set up an electronic weather station with computer linkup, there are many choices and price ranges. You will want to decide which features are best suited to your classroom. Popular among schools around the country is the weather station from Automated Weather Source. You can join schools from around the country and participate in WeatherNet. Some additional Web sources for instruments and software are American Weather Enterprises, Davis Instruments, Maximum, Inc., and the Weather Store.