Preschool Weather Activity – Bubbles and the Wind

Preschoolers know what the wind is. They know it blows their hair into their eyes, and maybe knocks a ball around the backyard. But have you and your preschooler actually taken the time to observe something blowing in the wind, especially before a storm?

 

How to tell what direction the wind is coming from

That the direction of the wind may change

That the wind may move differently in different places

 

Bubbles mixture

A bubble blower

A breezy day (as a storm approaches is great). However, if the day is very windy, your bubbles will pop quickly

A small flag (optional)

 

Step one: Have preschoolers try to guess what direction the wind is coming from. Licking a finger may help your preschooler do this. You can also use a small flag. 

 

Step two: Blow some large bubbles into the wind. You’ll want these bubbles to be big so they can be moved easily by the wind, but you won’t want them to be so big that they pop easily. The Gazillion Bubblator makes perfect sized bubbles for this experiment. 

 

Step three: Have preschoolers observe the movement of the bubbles. If the direction of the wind is really volatile, it’s fun for preschoolers to copy the directions of a bubble.

 

Wind is caused when warm air rises. As the warm air rises, the cold air sweeps in to take its place. 

 

Buildings and trees block the movement of wind. As your bubbles rise, the buildings or trees don’t block the wind, and your bubbles may change directions.