Making a Rain Gauge

The weather has been so bad now for so long, I must admit I am struggling to come up with more inventive ways to get the children engaged with outdoor play. This week however, I decided to embrace the weather and make a rain gauge so we can talk about the weather together and measure the rain fall.

A rain guage

To Make a Rain Gauge You need:

  • A bottle
  • Scissors
  • Permanent marker
  • Ruler

Method

  1. First, you need to cut the top off the bottle, approximately 5 cm down, turn it over and insert it back into the bottom part of the bottle, so it acts as a funnel for the rain to be collected.
  2. Next, use the ruler to mark the measurements up the side, so it’s easy to check the rainfall.
  3. Place it outside in an open area. You may need to wedge it between something, like I did between 2 pots to stop it blowing away.
  4. Take measurements each day and record it on a chart. We printed a chart off the internet, but a homemade one would work just as well.

The children enjoyed making their rain gauge. We check and record the rainfall now everyday after school. It’s the first thing they do when we walk in the door, “can we go and check our rain gauge, see how much rain we have had?”. I admit, it doesn’t get them outside for long, but at least 5 mins is a bonus in this weather and it is getting them thinking about the outside and the weather etc.

It is a wonderful teaching tool too. The girls helped count the measurements, while BB did the measuring. They are learning about the weather and we are talking a lot about it too. They are learning about recording data and numbers.

If you can’t beat the weather……use it to learn!

2 thoughts on “Making a Rain Gauge”

  1. Fun and educational too, as you said with the recent bad weather it has made it difficult to get out for some fresh air! Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.

  2. Oh now this is such an excellent idea and at this very wet time of year it means the rain doesn’t have to be a complete misery!

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