Rain in a Jar!
Create your own observable precipitation in a jar.
Kelsey Bechtel
Overview: Students will observe a cloud represented by a paper bowl execute
condensation and precipitation. Students can make inferences as to how condensation
Background:
It is quite simple to see that rain falls
from the clouds in the sky, but how does
this happen? Where does all of the water
come from? What are clouds even made
of? Through the activity “Rain in a Jar”
these questions and many others will be
answered. Along with the activity, I will
be touching the surface of the entire water
cycle, but mostly focusing on the
concepts of condensation and
precipitation. This activity is
recommended for students aged second
grade or lower however, it can be easily
adapted for various ages.
The first concept I will be
discussing is a basic overview on the
formation of clouds. First invisible water
vapor condenses into small, but still
visible water droplets under two
conditions: saturated air, or air with a
relative humidity of one hundred percent,
is cooled, and there must be surfaces
present upon which the droplets can form,
like on the edge of a pine needle. After
portions of the atmosphere that lay near
the Earth are heated by the sun, the water
droplets begin to evaporate into the
atmosphere as water vapor. When warm
air rises, it expands and cools. Therefore,
when water vapor is present,
condensation will occur. Condensation is
the occurrence of water droplets for on a
cold surface when in contact with warm
or humid air. When enough of these water
droplets clump together, we see them in
the sky as clouds.
We see lots of clouds in the sky,
but some are different than others. There
are four basic types of clouds; cirrus
clouds, stratus clouds, cumulus clouds,
and cumulonimbus clouds. Cirrus clouds
are wispy, white clouds that sit high in the
sky and are made of tiny ice pieces.
Stratus clouds sit low in the sky and are
flat, gray, and usually layered on top on
one another. When a stratus cloud lays
low to the ground we call it “fog”.
Cumulus clouds are white, fluffy clouds
that are indicators for a nice, sunny day.
However, they have a tendency to
suddenly transform into thunder clouds,
also know as cumulonimbus clouds.
Cumulonimbus clouds are huge, dark, and
puffy clouds commonly known as
thunderclouds. The root word “nimbus” is
the Latin word for rain.
When these water droplets that create a
cloud become too heavy, the force of
gravity allows them to fall, causing
precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or
sleet. If the clouds are large enough and
contain enough water droplets, the
droplets clump together and are able to
form even larger raindrops. Raindrops
can range from 1/100 of an inch (.0254
centimeter) to a quarter of an inch (.635
centimeter) in diameter. Excluding rain
that is wind-driven, raindrops in still air
fall between seven to eighteen miles per
hour. The range of a raindrop’s speed
depends on the size of the raindrop and
the amount of wind forcing the raindrops
down. However, air friction splits apart
larger raindrops when their falling speed
exceeds eighteen miles per hour. The
highest amount of rainfall ever recorded
in twenty-four hours is 182.5 centimeters
(71.9 inches) in Foc-Foc, La Réunion, an
island east of Madagascar during tropical
cyclone Denise on January 8, 1966. We
may see precipitation, especially rain, as
just the final step in the water cycle, but
we can use rain for much more than
puddle jumping. Rain allows us to create
electricity through hydropower.
Hydropower uses the gravitational force
of falling water to collect electricity, in
this case, rainwater. Most hydroelectric
power stations use rainwater that is
accumulated in dams to drive various
turbines and generators which turn
mechanical energy into renewable
electrical energy. Hydropower has been
used to power watermills for thousands of
Age/ Grade
level:
Preschool-2nd Grade
Skills:
Observing, making
inferences, formulating
hypotheses,
understanding a causeeffect relationship
Objectives:
At the completion of this
activity a student will be
able to: Formulate a
hypothesis about the
water cycle, make
observations, and have
an understanding of the
key players in the water
cycle.
Materials:
A glass jar
A paper plate or bowl
Ice
Hot water
Time
Considerations:
Prep Time: 5
minutes
Activity Time: 1015 minutes
depending on the
amount of time you
allow for
observation
years to create everyday products such as
flour. In the year 2006, hydroelectric
power supplied nearly twenty percent of
the world’s electricity.
We may see precipitation, especially rain,
as just the final step in the water cycle,
but we can use rain for much more than
puddle jumping. Rain allows us to create
electricity through hydropower.
Hydropower uses the gravitational force
of falling water to collect electricity, in
this case, rainwater. Most hydroelectric
power stations use rainwater that is
accumulated in dams to drive various
turbines and generators which turn
mechanical energy into renewable
electrical energy. Hydropower has been
used to power watermills for thousands of
years to create everyday
products such as flour.
In the year 2006,
hydroelectric power
supplied nearly twenty
percent of the world’s
electricity.