What is a cloud exactly? We look at them every day, but few of us realize what they are made of.
In a nutshell, clouds are collections of tiny water droplets, formed when the warm air that is being heated by the sun's rays meets the cold, damp air coming up off the cold ground. Little water drops form into clouds. The water drops are so small and light that they can float in the air. When enough water droplets have gathered together, they get too heavy to float and fall down as rain.
Okay, so now you know how to explain clouds in plain English. But as they say, a picture's worth a thousand words. Rather than tell your kids how clouds are formed when warm and cold air meet, show them. Here's a way for kids to see it all up close! As cool as it might seem for an independent project, don't let your kids do this experiment alone. There's a match involved, so a grownup is imperative.
What You Need:
- Glass jar
- Piece of black paper but to fit halfway up around the jar
- Tape
- Hot tap water
- Match
- Ice cubes in a plastic bag
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