In this set of activities adaptable for grades K-3, parents and educators will find ideas for teaching about temperature and degrees Farenheit and Celcius. These activities are designed to complement the BrainPOP Jr. Temperature topic page, which includes a movie, quizzes, online games, printable activities, and more.
Classroom Activities for Teaching About Temperature
Have the whole class conduct a weather study throughout the academic year. You can have different students measure the temperature each day, around the same time, and record other observations, such as weather conditions or amount of precipitation. You may want to keep a class notebook or official record and make sure all students take turns in making weather observations. At the end of the year, you can create a line graph together and map out the daily temperature to see how it changed throughout the seasons. You may wish to partner with a school in another city, state, or country, and create an online space to exchange the ongoing results of the weather study for comparison.
Divide students into small groups and give each group a thermometer and a cup of warm water. Have children measure the water’s temperature. Then challenge them to get the water to room temperature, about 70°F or 21°C. They may want to add cold water, drop in an ice cube, or even blow air on the water to cool it down. If they make it too cold, how will they warm the water up? You may wish to time the groups for added friendly competition. The first group to cool down their water to the temperature can select another temperature and have the whole class try the experiment again.
Family and Homeschool Activities for Teaching About Temperature
Hottest Place on Earth
Where is the hottest place on Earth? Together with your child, research on the Internet or at the library to find the answer. What’s the hottest temperature ever recorded on each of the continents? Then find the hottest temperature ever recorded in your community. Compare the two temperatures. Would your child like to visit the hottest place on Earth? Why or why not? What would they bring with them? Your child may wish to research the living creatures who survive there. What special adaptations do the plants and animals have to help them withstand and thrive in the heat? What might a human do to adapt?
Morning, Noon, Night
How does the temperature change during the day? Record the temperature throughout different times in the day. You and your child may want to record the temperature outside every two or three hours or so. Then create a graph together to see how the temperature changed. What was the difference in temperature from the coolest part of the day to the hottest? How much warmer was it at noon than at eight o’clock in the morning? How does the temperature influence what your child wants to wear? Encourage your child to infer why temperature changes throughout the day and how the Sun’s position affects temperature. Experiment by recording the outside temperature in both sunlight and shade.