Weather and seasons: enquire

How do we measure weather?

Provide learners with the opportunity to observe and compare daily weather patterns through enquiry, helping them to understand how weather conditions are measured and recorded to help see any patterns and changes over time.

This is recommended as session three in the Key Stage One Weather and seasons unit, supporting learners to investigate how to measure weather. 

< 30 minutes
KS1

Preparation

Green skills

  • recording data

Step by step

Quick starter activity

Begin by asking learners what types of weather they can think of to record.

Ask them to think about how they might measure temperature, wind, rain or cloud cover and if they can think of different ways they could record this information so that other people would understand it.

Main activity suggestions

Suggestion 1 (Indoors and outdoors)

Oak National Academy: Make a rain gauge. This activity can be used to support children to measure rainfall by making a rain gauge. 

Suggestion 2 (Indoor)

Met Office: Weather carousel. A a set of carousel activities to introduce and discuss what weather forecasting is and why it is important.

Suggestion 3 (Outdoor)

ASE Primary Upd8: Summer sun? In this activity, learners will investigate ways of measuring sunshine and discuss the validity of these methods.

Top tips

Consider inviting a volunteer science ambassador with a relevant role to speak with pupils about how they measure and record weather.  

Together as a class, create a weather journal, recording the weather conditions (temperature, rain, cloud over) at the same time each day. 
 

Curriculum links