Why is there More Wind in the Spring and Fall? and 10 Amazing Do ItYourself Wind Chimes

The neighborhood sirens scream. I grab the baby and call my kids into the hallway, checking my phone to figure out just how far away the tornado is. Tornados come when winds pick up in the spring and fall. The wind can be scary, but most days we enjoy the breeze. It's a great time to build a wind chime, and I have ten amazing wind chime ideas for you. Why is it extra windy during spring and autumn?

What's so special about spring and autumn?

To understand why the winds pick up in spring and fall, think about what else is happening. In the spring, the suns rays are becoming more direct, and beginning with the Equinox, are hitting the earth for more of the day than not.

The result of this direct radiation from the sun is that the air near the surface begins to warm. You may have heard the phrase "heat rises." That isn't true, but warm air rises.

As the air particles heat up, they expand to a greater volume for the same mass. This is called lower density. You could say that the warm air weighs less. It begins to float for the same reason boats float. As the warm air rises, cool air flows in to replace it, and the result is known as wind.

In the fall, the whole system works in reverse, with warm air being forced out of the way. 

Exactly how the wind will blow can't be exactly predicted. They follow a pattern best described by Chaos Theory.

I have some amazing Do IT Yourself wind chimes to help you take advantage of the breezes.

Do it Yourself Windchimes

Clock wise 
Clothespin Windchimes from B-Inspired Mama
Pony Bead Windchimes from Where Imagination Grows
Key Wndchimes from Inner Child Fun
Nature Windchimes from Hands on as We Grow

More great wind chimes  Rainbow Windchimes from sticks from Happy Hooligans
Coffee can Windchimes also from Happy Hooligans
Cutlery Windchimes from Red Ted Art
Bamboo Windchimes from Michelle Made Me
Recycled Windchimes from Maker Mama Craft Blog (This one is really simple!)
Out door Music Windchimes from Hands on as We Grow

Wishing you a gentle change of seasons, with no tornadoes and winds just right for a lovely wind chime.

You may also be interested in

A Simple Introduction to Chaos Theory
A Weather Demo you can do while making dinner
Easy Windsock to make with Kids
Why boats float + 10 boats to make

The Classic Winter Time Experiment Every Kid Should Do (At Least Once!)

Winter time is a wonderful time of year to enjoy with children, especially preschoolers.  It can also be the time of year when parents could use a few extra activities in their repertoire! Today, I have a classic winter science experiment for you, one every kid should try at least once.  This experiment involves snow, and we are hoping to get some.  However, if snow is the rarity for you that it is for us, you can always substitute ice.

Let your preschooler get some snow

My kids are always eager to do this part. Again, if you do not expect to get snow, use ice.

Make a hypothesis about how snow melts

We actually did this experiment for the first time after my preschooler made a hypothesis about how snow melts.  "I think pouring water on snow will make it melt."  Now, before you judge, we live in the South where some adults believe this myth too. The results can be tragic for their windshields!

Set up your experiment

Set up one container of snow in the circumstance that your child believes will melt the snow, and one in the opposite circumstance.  You may also want to set up one trial of each type in the freezer, and one outside of the freezer. (Wink!)

Check out your results

Let your child check the results.  Talk about what you see. Use the terms "liquid snow" and "solid snow."  You might encourage them to draw a journal about their experiences.

My daughter saw these pictures from last year as I was prepping this post.  She immediately asked, "If we could please do that experiment again?" It is always a treat to re-enjoy these simple activities with an excited preschooler!

Once your child gets bored repeating this activity,  challenge them to find new ways to melt the snow, or measure the volume and mass to see if they are the same very time.  Do you know exactly what temperature is the melting point for snow?

If you decide to try this experiment, I would love to hear what your preschooler decides to try!  Leave their ideas in the comments or on our facebook page.  Who knows, maybe you will discover a new way to melt snow!

This post is part of a blog hop hosted by  Preschool POWOL Packets. Each day a different blogger will share one fantastic winter time fun idea for preschoolers.  Be sure to check in for another great Preschool Winter Fun idea tomorrow!

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

I Spy: An Echo Chamber!

How to Satisfy Screen Time Craving Without a Screen

"Mom!  Can I watch a video?" Screen time is one of the major issues facing conscientious parents .  Our children love to watch videos and play electronic games. So do we.  However, we also know that too much screen time can damage them physically, socially, and mentally.  What should you do about the screen time question?

My husband recently made an off handed comment that changed the way I think about my children's request for screen time.  He said, "You know, it's just relaxing to watch."  

Around the same time I read Dayna's article at Lemon Lime Adventures explaining how some children need more visual stimulation than others.  It dawned on me that my children's requests for screen time might actually be an expression of their need for visual stimulation. I remembered watching rain drops on the window pane as a child.  It was mesmerizing.


It makes sense.  The human brain is wired to take in stimulation from the environment. Naturally, it wants to see things that are complex and beautiful.    I watched as my older two children were captivated by the fluid sensory bottle I put together for my seven month old.  (Get directions to make your own fluid filled sensory bottle from Lemon Lime Adventures). They were both attracted to it for hours. Children are born scientists, and their brains are wired to detect patterns in the environment.

Join your child in enjoying a fluid sensory bottle.

Fluid filled sensory bottles are a great way to study several kinds of science.  You can also use them to demonstrate chaos theory.   Chaos theory is probably most famous for its role in predicting weather patterns and the likelihood of climate change.  It can also be applied to economics, traffic patterns, or sensory bottles.

Start by encouraging your child to move the bottle back and forth in a slow rhythmic pattern, so that the fluid inside moves predictably from side, to side, and back again.  This is an example of harmonic motion.  The fluid moves between the same boundaries, over and over again.

Next, tell him too speed up a little.  The harmonic pattern becomes a bit more scattered, but is still predictable.  In terms of chaos theory, this is called transition.  Depending on the dynamics of your bottle, steady patterns may come and go as your child shakes the bottle faster and faster.

Finally, encourage your child to shake the bottle with all of his energy.  Even when shaking their hardest, most people will tend to shake the bottle at a set speed and to a set height.  Why then do the particles begin to move in a way that appears chaotic?  It is not random.  In reality, the fluids are responding in a mathematically predictable way to the increase in motion. The fascinating thing is that although the short range movement can be predicted mathematically, there is no way to predict where the particles will go over the long term.  This is a small model of Chaos Theory.

Why explain advanced math to your child?

You may wonder why pointing out chaotic phenomena to your child is something to do in the first place.  I find chaos theory hard to grasp.

However, just like children learn to name triangles before they are ready to count the sides and corners, recognizing advanced mathematical patterns, like Chaos, will prepare your children to analyze their world in more complex ways in the future.

Your child's brain is naturally seeking to experience complicated beautiful things.  Chaos is a natural, complicated, beautiful thing.  By providing solutions like a fluid filled sensory bottle and reveling together in the complexity it contains, you help your child fill their visual sensory needs in a healthy, beneficial way.

Today I am excited to be joining Decoding Everyday Kid Behaviors, a project where bloggers are talking about sensory needs in celebration the grand opening of Project Sensory.  All kids have sensory needs, and the desire for screen time is just one manifestation.  Be sure to take a look at what the other teachers and parents have learned, and check out the Project Sensory site as well!

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At Thriving STEM, accuracy is our goal.  If you believe there is a technical error in this, or any post, kindly leave a correction in the comments.

Easy Windsock Project for Kids

Pony Artist loves the beautiful windsocks people put in their yards.  When I offered the chance for her to make her own she was extremely excited.

Materials:  Plastic shopping bag

                 Crayon

                 Rubber bands (from produce)

                 Large twisty tie. (also from produce)

                 Foam 

                 Hot glue gun

                 Heavy paper

First, she used the crayon to color the bag.  

Then she cut up some pink foam to use as a decoration.  Initially, she asked for paper.  It was a great opportunity to talk about what would happen to paper in the rain, and discuss what material best suited our project.

The Pony Artist showed me where she wanted the foam, and I used the hot glue gun to attach it.  We put the newspaper in the middle to keep the sides of the bag from sticking together.

On one side she chose a random design.

On the other side she decided to glue a piece of foam on each letter.   We talked about the sounds as we worked.

When we finished, she cut off the bottom of the bag.  I glued rubber bands on two edges.

Using the twisty tie we attached the bag to a bamboo pole in our garden.

Now, the Pony Artist enjoys going outside to check the wind speed.  This windsock picks up the slightest breeze, a rewarding result!

At our stage, this is a great weather study tool.  For older kids, calibrating the windsock to actual wind speeds would be a fun extension.

Each month we look forward to project Recycle!Create!  where we use a common material to do a project with or for our kids.  It is a great opportunity to build environmental awareness by slowing down to notice how useful the things we throw away can be.  It also can be a great way to talk about the composition(chemistry!) of different materials.

Learn more about Project Recycle !Create!.

Or link up your own shopping bag project.

An InLinkz Link-up

Run Down a Rainbow: Kids' Summer Activity

When my sister and I were little girls, my mother would sometimes let us play with the hose in the back yard.  One of our favorite games, well, one of my favorite games was to walk down the rainbow.  

Easy Weather Science Demonstration You can do While Making Dinner!

Science lessons don't have to be complicated or take extra resources. Here's a quick physics lesson that you can do while you are boiling pasta, rice, or potatoes for dinner.  My children loved this chance to learn about how the weather is formed.