Measure raindrop sizes (making raindrop footprints)-
Ask your students if they think all rain drops are the same size.
A simple way to measure raindrops accurately is easy although it requires preparation before class. Take a metal can a stretch pantyhose material over the top. Secure it with rubber bands . Dust the material with powdered sugar. Take the can outside under an umbrella while it's raining and hold the can out just long enough for a few drops to fall on the pantyhose material. Then take this back to the classroom and measure the area where the powdered sugar is missing to find out how big the raindrops were that you collected. Even in the same storm raindrop size changes all the time although heavy rain commonly has larger raindrops as you would expect.
Journal activity :
Keep the can in the classroom and if possible repeat the measurement on several rainy days by dusting the powdered sugar again before each new test . Keep a log of the different sizes collected and keep track of the dates. Ask students to compare and describe if a heavy rain usually has larger raindrops.
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