Make a Weather Vane 

Before you start...

A weather vane is also called a wind vane, and it is a tool for measuring wind direction.   Weather vanes are one of the oldest of all weather instruments, working by swinging around in the wind to show which direction it is blowing from. Traditionally, weather vanes had a religious importance and appeared in the form of weathercocks on church roofs as early as the 9^th Century AD. The head of the cockerel would point into the wind, indicating the direction the wind was blowing from. Weather vanes now appear in a wide variety of forms - keep an eye out for weather vanes and see how many different types you see. What is the most common shape for a weather vane – is it still the cockerel?

Materials

You will need:

• paper and pencil
• scissors
• cardboard
• compass
• a plastic soft drink bottle
• a plastic drinking straw
• a shallow pan filled with rocks
• a felt marker pen

Procedure

With the scissors, carefully cut an arrow with a tab from the cardboard, as shown in the image above. Remember that scissors are sharp, so handle them carefully. Bend the tab slightly so the arrow turns easily when you put it in one end of the straw. Put the other end of the straw in the bottle. Remove enough rocks from the pan to make room for the bottle. Pile the rocks back around the bottle so it won't be blown over. (See illustrations above.)

A compass always point north. Use your compass to find north, and then mark the four sides of the bottle E, W, N, and S with a felt pen.

Set your weather vane in a high place such as the top of a playhouse or a slide. Make sure it does not wobble or tilt, and that it catches the slightest breeze.

Watch your weather vane closely and then describe how it works. Test it on windy days and again when there is just a light breeze.

Close Window