Cool Tools: And, we're back....

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

We want to thank all the staff and volunteers here at the Museum as well as some terrific friends that came in to help us get the next round of science kits ready for Durham Public Schools.

Last month, we had the pleasure of being asked to be community partners with our friends at WTVD Channel 11 Eyewtitness News and spent an entire day with them in their booth at the North Carolina State Fair. We got to meet some of the on air personalities like Glenn Willey and Amanda Fitzpatrick and spend time with fairgoers talking about the Museum and doing weather activities with some of the children.

I have to admit I was a little intimidated talking about weather around Glenn, who is the Meterologist on the morning team, but it was pretty cool seeing the kids get into learning about the different weather instruments we brought (like thermometers and rain gauges) and examine cloud patterns on cloud charts.

If you have been out to visit our Museum and have "captained" a sailboat out at the pond in Catch the Wind, there is a station that describes the Beaufort (Wind Force) Scale which is an empircal measure for weather intensity based mostly on wind power. It tells us what to expect conditions on land and sea to be at certain wind speeds. Use of the scale is helpful as weather is often forecasted using this scale globally.

An instrument that meterologists use to measure wind force and velocity is something called an anemometer. We helped the kids make pocket anemometers with a pattern on heavy cardstock and a standard paperclip. Most of the kids at the fair were registering about a "4" on the Beaufort Scale which meant that there was a moderate breeze.

If you are interested in making an anemometer, contact us and we'll get you a pattern. Make sure you address your request to the SERC.

Many of the folks that stopped by the booth were intrigued by the rain gauges and asked where to get them. You can find them in the garden departments of most retailers and they are fairly inexpensive. There are some sophisticated ones that you can buy online but of course, we at the SERC are advocates for the DIY approach. You can make a child-friendly one with a clear cup and a wide craft stick. Just use clear tape to adhere the stick to the cup. Make sure the stick extends past the bottom of the cup enough so that it can be staked into the ground. Use a ruler and a black permanent marker or grease pencil to mark off increments in inches. We also found this version that might make a fun science project.

And now, back to you.

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy