Observable Sky Clouds

Materials:

A partly cloudy day, nature journal, drawing utensils of choice.

Activity:

Lay down in a field and observe the clouds above you. Draw what you saw in the “Observable sky” section of your nature journal.

Younger:

Young kids have a hard time drawing white clouds on a blue sky when the paper is white (negative space). Just have them try their best and verbally describe what the cloud looks like and record their observations.

Older:

Have older kids track clouds over time and note changes in weather. Have them note any correlations they observe.

Take it Further:

Do a mini-lesson on clouds. Read “It looked like spilt milk” to younger children then have them create different types of clouds with cotton balls glued to blue paper. Have older children learn the names of common types of clouds and what they mean for the weather a great resource for cloud types is this cloud study from HoneyComb Cabin. Another favorite resource for kids of both age groups is “Clouds” from the Lets Read and Find Out Science Series. It explains how clouds are formed as well as teaching you the different cloud types and what kind of weather they bring. Finally a tool my kids absolutely LOVE is the cloud viewer that you can find here.