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How to Make Anemometers With Children

Wind is the weather's harbinger and handshake. Depending on where you live, a sudden shift of the wind to the east can mean a storm is on the way, while a constant breeze from the southwest can mean days of balmy weather ahead. Professional and amateur meteorologists use anemometers to measure wind speed. The word "anemometer" comes from the Greek word for wind, "anemos." You can easily make an anemometer with children.

Things You'll Need

  • Five 3-ounce paper cups
  • Round paper punch
  • Two straight plastic soda straws
  • Scotch tape of small stapler
  • One straight pin
  • One sharpened pencil with an eraser
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Instructions

    • 1

      Show the child how to use a round paper punch to punch one hole in the sides of two 3-ounce paper cups. Make the holes about 1/2 inch below the mouth of each cup.

    • 2

      Have the child insert a straight plastic drinking straw through each of the holes. Help the child bend the end of the straw inside each cup into a right angle. Tell the child to push each straw until the right angle is resting against the inside wall of the cup opposite the hole, then help the child tape or staple the right-angle end of the straw to the inside wall of the cup.

    • 3

      Let the child punch four holes in the side of another paper cup, approximately 1/4 inch below the mouth of the cup using the round paper punch. Help the child evenly space the holes around the cup. For example, if you hold the cup with its mouth toward you, one pair of holes should be at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and one pair of holes should be at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This is the hub of the anemometer.

    • 4

      Have the child take the straw-cup assemblies and help the child guide the free end of each straw through one of the pairs of holes in the anemometer hub. Push each straw through the cup until it passes through the opposing hole and sticks out of the opposite side of the cup.

    • 5

      Let the child use the round paper punch to punch one hole in the sides of two more paper cups. Make the holes about 1/2 inch below the mouth of each cup.

    • 6

      Have the child push the free end of each straw projecting from the anemometer hub through the hole just the child just punched in one of the cups.

    • 7

      Guide the child in turning the cups inserted so that each cup's mouth faces in the opposite direction of the mouth of the cup on the opposite end of the straw. For example, if you are facing the anemometer and the mouth of the cup at the 12 o'clock position is facing left, the mouth of the cup at the 6 o'clock position should be facing right.

    • 8

      Help the child bend the free end of the straw inside each aligned cup into a right angle. Tell the child to push each straw until the right angle is resting against the inside wall of the cup opposite the hole, then help the child tape or staple the right-angle end of the straw to the inside wall of the cup.

    • 9

      Insert a straight pin vertically through the X at the center of the anemometer hub where the two inserted straws cross. The hub should be able to spin freely on the pin.

    • 10

      Hold a sharpened pencil and push the pointed end of the straight pin into the top of the pencil's eraser. Check that the anemometer hub still spins freely on the pin.

    • 11

      Let your child take the anemometer outside in the wind. Show your child how to set up the anemometer by pushing the sharpened end of the pencil into the ground.


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