If you are preparing for your weather lesson, try this Clouds in a Jar Experiment. Kids will love watching a little cloud form inside the jar. Fascinating, right? Not only is it a great educational experience for kids, but you’ll learn something new, too!

If you love this activity, be sure to check out my list of Fun Weather Activities for Kids.

You just need basic supplies to start this simple experiment so try it out together and then go explore more of the outside world.

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Learning About the Weather

Teaching your children about the weather has wonderful benefits! Weather can relate to many areas of kids’ lives – at home, at school, and in play.

A basic understanding of the fundamentals of weather helps children to navigate their daily environment, understand how it affects their plans, and be active participants in outdoor pursuits.

It also provides a fun creative outlet through participating in activities such as drawing rainbows and making homemade thermometers or barometers.

Recommended Weather Books for Kids

Dive deeper into the weather topic and all of its terminologies with these fun weather books, your kids will love exploring the weather with any of these books.

National Geographic Kids Ultimate Weatherpedia: The most complete weather reference ever National Geographic Readers: Weather What’s the Weather?: Clouds, Climate, and Global Warming Explore My World Clouds When The Sky Roars Worm Weather (Penguin Core Concepts)

Recommended Weather Kits

Junior Scientist Science Study: Weather

Head outdoors and help your little scientist discover more about the weather with the Junior Scientist Science Study: Weather learning pack.

Junior Scientist Science Study: Severe Weather

Let your kids discover the different extreme weather conditions and what to do if they experience one with this Junior Scientist Science Study: Severe Weather learning pack.

Recommended Weather Science Kits

If you love this science experiment about the weather, check out these other science experiment kits that will make science even more fun!

Thames & Kosmos Climate & Weather Science Kit | Learn About Climate Change, Global Warming, Ocean Currents | 23 Stem Experiments | 48 Page Color Manual | Winner Dr. Toy Best Green Toy Award PLAYSTEM Space Weather Station Water Cycle Simulation Learning Kit-Climate Change, Global Warming, Lab – STEM Toys Educational Gift for Kids & Teens, Girls & Boys Be Amazing! Toys Weather Science Lab – Kids Weather Science Kit with 20 All Season Projects – Educational STEM Kits for Boys & Girls – Scientific Meteorology Toys for Children Age 8+Scientific Explorer Wacky Weird Weather Kit Thames & Kosmos Climate & Weather Science Kit | Learn About Climate Change, Global Warming, Ocean Currents | 23 Stem Experiments | 48 Page Color Manual | Winner Dr. Toy Best Green Toy Award 4M Tornado Maker Science Kit, STEM Powered Kids, For Boys & Girls Ages 8+

Clouds in a Jar Experiment

Have you ever wondered how clouds are formed? With a little bit of creativity and know-how, anyone can take part in a nifty experiment that can help answer this question!

You only need these four supplies to do this.

Supplies Needed

Ice cubes
Hot water
Jar
Hair Spray

Cloud Jar Experiment Tips

When you fill the jar with hot water, make sure you help or supervise your kids while doing this so they don’t get hurt.

After you add the hair spray, have the lid ready in your other hand so that you can quickly close the lid.

Place some ice cubes on top of the lid. You can use 4-5 cubes depending on how wide the lid is.

Watch as the hot air in the jar rises and forms small clouds.

Voila! You just created your own mini-cloud system right before your eyes. Who knew science could be this much fun?

What is the science behind the clouds in a jar experiment?

Homeschooling is a great way to foster your child’s education, and thanks to the clouds in a jar experiment, it can be an incredibly fun activity too! It’s amazing that kids can explore such complex ideas as this one through simple experiments.

The science behind the experiment is quite straightforward. For the clouds to form, it needs warm, moist air so when hot water was poured and stirred, it made the air moist and warm, causing water vapor to evaporate to the top of the lid.

The next step is the cooling process. It is the reason why the ice cubes were placed at the top of the jar. When water vapor reached the top of the lid, it cools down.

Third, condensation. Once you sprayed particles from the hair spray, the water vapor will react to it and will condense the particles. Then, clouds will soon appear and it’s just homeschool science!

Clouds in a Jar Experiment

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Estimated Cost: 10

Do this activity with your kids so they will learn more about how clouds are formed and soon enough, they'll want to know more!

Materials

Jar
4-5 ice Cubes
Hair Spray
Hot Water

Instructions

Fill 1/4 of the jar with hot water. Make sure you help or supervise your kids while doing this because of
Spray the hair spray into the jar and quickly close the lid.
Place some ice cubes on top of the lid. You can use 4-5 cubes depending on how wide the lid is.
Watch as the hot air in the jar rises and forms small clouds.

Recommended Products

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A simple experiment that will give your kids the best time! Not only will they have fun making this but they will learn a lot about clouds and the weather.

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