experiment1

OBJECTIVE:
Building this will give the students a chance to interact with your lecture. It gives them a hands-on advantage while you teach them about temperature, seasons, and weather terms.

YOU WILL NEED:
* THICK Cardboard (Preferrably Foam Backed)
* Thin Adhesive Stickers (Preferrably sheets w/10 + labels)
* THICK String (Preferrably Soft, but STRONG)
* Ruler
* 8 or More DIFFERENT Colored Markers
* Something to Cut With (Preferrably an Exacto Knife/Razor Blade)
* A RED Marker (Non-Toxic, Preferrably a PAINT MARKER)
* PLENTY OF TIME

WARNING: MAKE SURE YOU FIND OUT HOW MANY OF THESE YOU NEED TO MAKE, AND MAKE A FEW EXTRA! YOU ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE A FEW EXTRA FOR NEXT TIME, OR IN CASE A FEW EXTRA STUDENTS SHOW UP, OR IN CASE ON BREAKS!

STEP 1 -- CUT THE CARDBOARD
First, you need to make the backboard of the thermometers. Take your posterboard, and divide it into even sections. Normally, posterboards come in 30" X 20" sheets. So, I usually AIM for a dozen per posterboard, making the dimensions 5" X 10" per thermometer.
Make sure to first sketch the lines in pencil and use a knife, or razor blade to cut them out. Scissors will work, but generally leave ragged edges.

STEP 2 -- PUNCH SOME HOLES
Now that you have the backboards cut out, you can label each one. Take your ruler and LIGHTLY draw a line down the center of the thermometer. Measure 1" down from each side and mark them with a small circle. Take a pencil and POKE through the cardboard. Make sure the hole is about as big as the pencil.

STEP 3 -- DRAW THE PIPS
Using the line that you drew from the previous step, measure in 1.6" incriments from the either hole so that there are 4 equally spaces lines. Color the lines bold and dark like the picture shown. Do the same for both sides.

STEP 4 -- FINE TUNING
Now, draw a red circle around one of holes and fill it in RED. Also, take a 'mild color' such as green and write 50* by the red circle. Write 100* to the right of the other circle. Do the same on the other side, except label 50* at the top and 0* at the bottom.

STEP 5 -- CUT/PAINT THE STRING
Take your string and cut it in incriments of the distance between the holes times two plus 2". In our case with the 10" X 5" board, we will cut the string length at 18" each (8" X 2) + 2" = 18").
Here's the tricky part -- Take your red (paint) marker and color 8" of the string, BUT start about 3/4" from one end. Look at the string on the right if you're confused. Let the string dry so the ink won't run on the cardboard.

STEP 6 -- TIE THE STRING INTO THE CARDBOARD
Now, take the string and loop it through the holes and back again to form a complete loop. Now, do your best to tie the ends together and TRY not to get any of the red area into the knot.
Also, make sure string is taught, but not TOO taught around the holes you made. You want to be able to slide it back and forth.

STEP 7 -- TRY IT OUT
Grab one end of the string and firmly pull it back and forth to see how it works. If you find that one side of the thermometer can not be completely covered in RED, touch up the reaminder of the area. Also, trim the excess of the knot, but leave about 1/4" of string knot so it has some slack.
You should be able to pull the string back and forth with little hesistation.

STEP 8 -- LABELS
Now, you need to make some labels to have the children place on the thermometer. One again, make sure that each sheet of labels contains at least more than 10 labels.
Now, on each sheet, write out numbers in 10 degree incriments in advancing colors of heat (e.g. -- 10* Dark Blue, 90* Red).
Also, if you have extra labels, write a few temperature terms, such as HOT, COLD, WARM, NICE, and CHILLY.
(You don't need to make a 0*, 50* or 100* label.)

STEP 9 -- HAND THEM OUT!
When giving your speech, hand out the thermometers right away. Go through putting on the lables step by step and ask them to experiment with them.
Ask them to change their thermometers to what they feel is chilly, or to what the temperature is like outside, etc.

THE VERDICT?
Well, I used these for the 1st graders at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Riverside, IA on March 30, 2001.
The children seemed to love them!
It's a great way to get them involved in weather, if you're willing to spend the time to make them. Let's face it, making one of these is difficult!