Weather Experiments

It is always fun to add experiments to your homeschool science lessons. First graders learn best when they can see and do, so go ahead and have fun with the following two science experiments.

Egg in a Bottle

MATERIALS:

· glass bottle with a long, narrow neck (an apple cider jug works well)

· boiled egg

· matches (adult supervision required)

Directions:

Put the empty bottle on a table. Peel the boiled egg. Light a match and drop it into the bottle. Repeat about three or four times. Quickly put the egg over the mouth of the bottle.

EXPLANATION:

The lit match heats the air inside the bottle. When air is heated, it expands and takes up more room. As the heated air expands, some of it escapes out of the bottle. When the matches go out, the air inside the bottle cools and contracts, which takes up less room. This creates a lower pressure inside the bottle than outside the bottle. The greater pressure outside the bottle forces the egg to get sucked into the bottle.

*To get the egg back out of the bottle, tilt the bottle and blow air into it. Make sure you get out of the way, because the egg will shoot out.

Blowing in the Wind

MATERIALS:

· a few plastic lids

· petroleum jelly

· magnifying glass

· paper punch

· yarn

· windy day

Directions:

Punch a hole at one end of each lid. Thread each hole with a length of yarn and knot the ends of the yarn together to form a loop for hanging. Spread petroleum jelly over one side of each lid. Take the lids outdoors on a windy day and hang them in various areas.

Leave them outside for about an hour or two to collect what may be blowing in the wind (we have left ours outside for a few days). Retrieve the lids and see what they have collected.

EXPLANATION:

Some of the items that may have been collected include insects, dirt, seeds, and leaves. Use the magnifying glass for further observation.