146. Winds, Storms, and Cyclones -

Exciting DIY Activities to Teach and Demonstrate Winds, Storms, and Cyclones

Introduction:

Are you a high school teacher or a homeschooling parent searching for engaging and educational activities to teach your students about winds, storms, and cyclones? Look no further! In this blog post, we'll explore four thrilling DIY activities that will make learning about these weather phenomena a breeze. Let's dive in!

Meteorology is a fun and exciting career choice! Meteorologist across
the world get to predict some of mother nature’s wildest weather. From
hurricanes to tornadoes and from heat waves to blizzards this is one career
choice that will keep you on your toes.

How are winds caused?

Wind currents are generated due to uneven heating on earth.

Uneven Heating between the equator and the poles

Uneven heating of land and water

Wind is characterized by two things: its direction and its speed. Let us understand a few methods used by meteorologist to determine these characteristics.

Activity 1: Creating a Wind Sock (for Wind Direction)

Materials Required:

Foam disc, 2 hooks, lightweight cloth ,balloon straw, McDonald’s straw, lollipop straw, Glue.

Procedure:

Attach a lightweight cloth to a foam disc using glue.
Insert hooks on opposite sides of the disc and connect them with a balloon straw.
Use a McDonald’s straw as a support structure at the bottom.
Hang the wind sock outside and observe how it moves with the wind, indicating its direction.

How does a Wind Sock works?
A Wind sock allows air to pass through it as it is open on the other end. When the wind hits a wind sock on its side, it rotates the wind sock due to the force. The wind sock rotates till its front faces the wind. At this point the wind sock offers the least air resistance and hence remains stable.

Activity 2: Building an Anemometer (for Wind Speed)

Materials Required:

Foam pieces, straws, plastic cups.

Procedure:

Cut out four equal foam pieces and attach them to the ends of straws, forming a cross shape.
Attach the plastic cup into the foam piece, ensuring they are evenly spaced.
Take the anemometer outside and observe how the cups rotate faster or slower depending on the wind speed, indicating its intensity.

Calculating wind speed
• Mark one of the cups with sketch pen.
• Count number of revolutions of the marked cup in given time.
• The circumference of the anemometer is 33.4cm.
• Calculate distance as explained below:
• Distance = (number of revolutions) × circumference (2×π×r)
WIND SPEED = (DISTANCE/ TIME)

Calculating wind speed"

Calculate the speed of wind using your wind wane anemometer during different times and note down your observations below.

Activity 3: Designing a Wind Vane (for Wind Direction)

Procedure:

Cut an arrow shape from a flute board.
Attach the arrow to the top of a straw using glue.
Insert the other end of the straw into a foam piece to stabilize it.
Place the wind vane outside and watch as the arrow points in the direction the wind is blowing.

High speed winds cause low pressure:
Bernoulli’s principle is a physical phenomenon. It states that the pressure of a fluid (liquid or gas) decreases as the speed of the fluid increases. Within the same fluid, high-speed flow is associated with low pressure, and low-speed flow is associated with high pressure.

For example, an aeroplane flies using this principle. Air flowing above the wing moves faster than the air that moves below the wing. As a result, the pressure of air above the wing is lower than the air pressure below the wing. This lifts the wing and hence the aircraft.

Activity 4: Demonstrating Water Spray with Bernoulli's Principle

Procedure:

Fill a cup with water, ensuring it’s about halfway full.
Now, take the foam piece and cut it into a small square shape. Put a hole at the top and bottom
In bottom attach another piece of foam sheet with the hole
Now insert the straws perpendicular to each other make sure they touch at the edges
Now submerge the vertical straw into the cup and blow air in the horizontal straw.
Repeat steps 2-5, but this time, as the water sprays out, notice how the foam piece remains in place, demonstrating the principle of Bernoulli’s principle

Explanation: This activity showcases Bernoulli’s principle, which states that as the speed of a fluid (or air) increases, its pressure decreases. When you blow the air into straw, the water flows out and increases the speed of the air passing through the gap between the straws. As a result, the pressure decreases, causing the foam piece to stay in place despite the water spraying out

Instruction Video on Winds, Storms and Cyclones

Stroms & cyclones

In general, the destructive effects of cyclones increase with their speed. Shown here is a table that illustrates the level of destruction with wind speed. it is called a Beaufort Scale.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a 1-5 rating based on the hurricane's intensity. Wind speed is the determining factor in the scale

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Quick understanding Winds, Storms and Cyclones

Conclusion:
These engaging DIY activities will help high school students and homeschooling parents teach and demonstrate the concepts of winds, storms, and cyclones. Through hands-on exploration, students will gain a deeper understanding of these natural phenomena. Enjoy the educational journey!