Naturally Wild

Rain Races

It is finally starting to feel like spring! The days are getting longer, the temperatures are getting higher, and the weather is getting wetter. We all know the saying “April showers bring May flowers”, and the ‘showers’ have definitely started! Rain helps to start the process of waking up the plants and trees from their winter slumber. The trees can sense the longer daylight hours and increased precipitation. Both of these things are needed for making all the pretty flowers that we will start to see in the next few weeks. However, what do we do until the flowers come?

Well, now is the perfect time to have water races! It is super easy and super fun. Just get a few jars (mason jars are excellent for this) of equal size. Now get your kids to place them in various places outside: under trees, out in the open, beside a building, etc. If possible, you should place them outside right before it rains. Now, you and the kids can make predictions about which jar will have more water in it. This is a great way to introduce  the scientific method to your children by making a hypotheses and analyzing the results. This can not only help your children learn to love the outdoors, but also to start developing a love for science, discovery, and learning.

When the rain is done, check to see which jars are fuller and which jars have less water in them. You can introduce math by trying to figure out how hard it rained. Take the amount of water in the jar and measure it in inches, centimeters, etc. Then take the amount of time it rained and divide it by the amount of water you collected. That will tell you how hard it rained. What about the jars that have less water in them? What can you infer about those jars? Maybe  the places where you put these jars would make great shelters for animals that might not be too fond of the rain.  Next time it rains, check these places to see if they are being occupied by a woodland friend. You never know what or who you might discover!