Ready to turn stormy skies and sunny days into an unforgettable learning adventure? Let’s discover the wonders of weather with a Family Unit Study! It’s the perfect way to explore the science behind the skies with the whole family.

Did you know a single cloud can weigh hundreds of tons—yet still float gracefully across the sky? It’s just one of the many incredible weather facts your kids will uncover with the Weather Family Unit Study. 

Get excited, my friend, for a fun-filled weather unit study for kids!

What is a Family Unit Study?

This unit study, like all of our ever-growing library of unit studies, takes one big topic—like “Weather”—and breaks it down into 10 manageable, bite-sized learning opportunities. Perhaps you do one area per day, possibly one per week. Whatever suits your fancy! You can learn and explore each topic from start to finish in approximately 1-2 hours.

Dive in and watch the sparks of wonder ignite. Watch the child-led learning take off. Watch what happens when children are engaged in their learning!

For this Weather Unit Study, we have broken it down into 10 learning topics. Each topic includes:

• an interesting fact,
• a discussion question,
• informative information,
• a curated YouTube video,
• a recommended book,
• a math or literacy enrichment question (with three difficulty levels),
• and an ultimate can’t-be-beat hands-on activity!

Wondering if unit studies are right for your family? Grab a sample pack and take a peek inside my Stars and Constellations Unit Study! You can also see the entire collection of Unit Studies available in my shop right here.

Weather Unit Study

Now, let’s dive into the Weather Family Unit Study! Below are the 10 topics included with the unit study and the hands-on weather activities we enjoyed for each:

Topic 1: Climate

We learned about the difference between ‘climate’ and ‘temperature’ and discovered what climate WE live in. We used this information to dive into some research about plants that grow in our climate and used this research to plan out a dream garden. Hopefully, in the spring, we will put the garden drawings into action!

Topic 2: Temperature

There is no better way to learn about temperature than by learning to read a thermometer and record some temperatures. My kids loved recording the temperature outside for a week, checking to see how the sun/shade affected our temperature readings, as well as figuring out what time of day is typically the warmest. 

Topic 3: The Water Cycle

We used a simple Ziploc bag to make a model of the water cycle! It was hung up in our window, and we could see how water evaporates, collects, and then “rains” back down.

Topic 4: Clouds

Can you name the 4 different types of clouds? You will certainly be able to after this fun hands-on activity! Use cotton balls to learn all about the different clouds and what each one looks like and can mean for our weather.

Topic 5: Forces and Winds

Learning about wind and the amazing power it has is a fun and exciting topic. We brought the power of wind down to a very small and manageable size by putting it right into our children’s hands. We made a simple paper windmill as we learned all about wind power. You can check out that activity in this blog post.

Topic 6: Thunder and Lightning

We created LIGHTNING! I mean, this may have been my favorite part! By using items found in our kitchen cupboard, we were able to create static electricity and make a spark that looked just like a bolt of lightning. 

Topic 7: Tornadoes

Tornadoes are amazing forces of nature and some of the most extreme forms of weather. My boys were mesmerized as we learned about tornadoes in this weather unit study. We simply used two big plastic water bottles, warming the mouth of each with a lighter so they ‘stuck’ together and secured with duct tape. It was such an easy science demonstration, and the kids LOVED it!

Topic 8: Hurricanes

Hurricanes were another huge hit to learn about in our weather unit study. The YouTube video for this topic was spectacular, and the hands-on activity really helped my boys to understand why there is a calm, stillness in the “eye of the storm”. For this activity, we used water, blue food coloring, a paper clip, and a bowl. There are no fancy supplies required for these unit studies – just things you already have at home.

Topic 9: Snow

Learning about snow and snowflakes is a must with a weather topic for kids! You don’t need snow for this hands-on activity so that you can do it any time of the year. All snowflakes are symmetrical and have six sides. You can use a mirror and Q-tips (or cotton swabs) to make gorgeous, symmetrical, snowflake art.

Topic 10: Weather Forecasting

Finally, we finished our weather unit study with a section on weather forecasting. We learned how meteorologists make predictions about the weather. We became weather forecasters ourselves and created a homemade weather vane using a simple plastic container, a straw, a pin, and a small piece of cardboard. Children will learn all about the cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West) as they track the wind with their printable “Wind Tracker.” Who knew learning could be this much fun?!

Whether you’re homeschooling, supplementing a science curriculum, or just diving into a fun family project, this study will have your kids observing, experimenting, and asking big questions about the world around them. Let’s jump in and make weather learning anything but dry! 

See a Sample and Buy the Weather Family Unit Study:

https://shop.tstest18.techsurgeons.com/products/family-unit-study-weather

Thank you so much for reading!

xo
Sarah