Scenes from Our Weather Vane Challenge!

Today, we took part in a Working Wind/Weather Vane Challenge.  I split the class into groups of 3 or 4 students and provided them with the following materials:
-a pencil
-construction paper
-a paper cup
-tape
-scissors
-a thumb tack
-straws

I gave them no directions, other than some background knowledge of what a weather vane does and a rough idea of what it looks like.  Some kiddos had some prior knowledge about weather vanes ("I've seen one on the top of a barn!") while others really had no idea.  The rules of the challenge were:
1. You must design a working wind/weather vane.
2. The wind/weather vane must spin and show the accurate wind direction.
3. The goal is to build a working wind/weather vane with the materials provided.
4. There are many different ways to complete this challenge.  Be creative!

Students experimented with the materials to test how they could build a working weather vane.

After that, we tested our designs in front of a fan and made changes to the design when necessary.

With the remaining time, I showed them one way to build a working weather vane.  They built their own versions and tested again, comparing results with their group.

We had a great time with this challenge, and plan to revisit our weather vanes in the near future!  Stay tuned for more great science experiments related to air and weather!