Check your personal weather
Make a simple backyard weather station using a thermometer, rain gauge, wind vane, and cloud chart, then record daily observations and compare results.
Step-by-step guide to check your personal weather
The Weather for Kindergarten | EYFS
Step 1
Gather all the materials on a table outside or near a window so you can work easily.
Step 2
Cut the plastic bottle in half using scissors with adult help so you can make the rain gauge.
Step 3
Turn the top half of the bottle upside down and fit it into the bottom half so it makes a funnel that catches rain.
Step 4
Tape the seam where the two halves meet so the funnel stays put and does not leak.
Step 5
Use the ruler and permanent marker to draw measurement lines on the side of the bottle starting at zero at the bottom and label numbers clearly.
Step 6
Cut a simple arrow shape and a tail from cardboard to make the wind vane pointer.
Step 7
Push a straight pin through the middle of the cardboard arrow into the straw or skewer so the arrow can spin freely on the pin.
Step 8
Tape the spinning straw near its middle to the top of the stick or dowel so the arrow sits horizontally and can turn with the wind.
Step 9
Place the rain gauge on level open ground away from roofs and trees so it collects only rain.
Step 10
Place the thermometer in a shaded spot about one meter above the ground away from direct sun and write its exact location in your notebook.
Step 11
Draw or print a simple cloud chart in your notebook showing at least cumulus cirrus and stratus and color and label each type.
Step 12
Every day at the same time record your observations in the notebook by writing the thermometer temperature the rain depth from the gauge the wind vane direction and the cloud type you see.
Step 13
After seven days compare the notebook entries to look for patterns such as hotter days more rain or a common wind direction.
Step 14
Share a photo and a short description of your finished backyard weather station and your comparison results on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a clear plastic bottle, a straight pin, or a thermometer?
Use a clear glass jar or large yogurt tub as the rain gauge instead of the plastic bottle, a small nail or sewing needle (with adult help) in place of the straight pin for the cardboard arrow, and a kitchen/meat thermometer or a shaded smartphone weather app as a substitute for the thermometer.
My wind vane won't spin or the rain gauge leaks — what should I try?
If the cardboard arrow won't spin, widen the hole in the straw or skewer a little and add a tiny spacer (tape or bead) so the pin turns freely, and if the bottle seam leaks, retape the junction with waterproof tape and press the funnel snugly into the bottom half before placing it on level ground.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages?
For preschoolers have an adult cut the plastic bottle and pre-draw bold measurement lines and use stickers for cloud types, while older kids can mark millimeter measurements with the ruler, calculate seven-day averages from the notebook entries, and build a compass-mounted wind vane for precise directions.
How can we extend or personalize our backyard weather station after the seven-day comparison?
Decorate the bottle and notebook, attach a small compass to the wind vane and label cardinal directions, mount a phone or trail camera to capture daily photos for a time-lapse, and upload the photo plus your comparison results to DIY.org as suggested in the instructions.
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Facts about weather observation and meteorology
☁️ Clouds are classified by shape and altitude; 'cumulus' are puffy low clouds and 'cirrus' are thin, wispy high clouds.
🛰️ Many backyard weather stations share data online with networks (like CoCoRaHS), helping scientists track local weather.
🌧️ Rain gauges collect precipitation — 1 mm of rain equals 1 liter of water spread across 1 square meter.
🌡️ Thermometers work because liquids (like alcohol) expand when they get warmer, so the liquid rises in a tube.
🌬️ Wind vanes point toward the direction the wind is coming from, so a north wind comes from the north.
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