This post is part of my 15-minute focus series. We talk about winds, and make observations about what blows in the wind, then we do an experiment to test what will or will not move in the wind.

Objectives: Children will be able to list two factors that affect whether the wind will move something. (Weight and shape.)

Supplies:

• something to make wind with – like balloon pumps and/or fans (you can make your own from paper using accordion folding), a hair dryer and/or straws to blow through
• miscellaneous items which will move with just a slight breeze (feather, pompom, balloon, scarf, a slice of pool noodle, dixie cups, pingpong ball)
• items which won’t blow in the wind (rock, wooden train track, book, coin, cookie cutter)
• some items where the shape / position matters (for example, if you lay a rectangular wooden block down flat, the wind won’t move it, but if you stand it up on its skinny end, the wind will topple it; if you stand up a toilet paper tube or an empty water bottle or dixie cup, it takes a stiff breeze to knock it over, but if it’s on its side, it’s easy to make it roll)
• scarves for all kids

Here’s a picture of the bin I prepared for this session.

Introduction

Talk about the wind. Can you see the wind? Can you feel the wind? Have you ever seen things blowing around in the wind? What blows around? What doesn’t move in the wind? Does it matter how strong the wind is? Does it matter how heavy the item is, or what shape the item is?

Demo

Do a guided experiment: you hold something up* – if they think it will blow in the wind, they give a thumbs up, or thumbs down if it won’t. Test it. After you’ve done several, ask for their observations – what blows and what doesn’t. They will notice that generally lightweight things blow and heavy things don’t. They may notice (or you may help them notice) that sometimes the shape of something matters – heavy things can blow / fly if they’re shaped just right (airplanes!!).

*Note: you could choose to pass items around and have them each take one and then take turns having everyone test their own item.

Free Play

Let them conduct their own experiments, testing out the items you demo’ed or other items from the classroom (“remember to put it back where you found it”) to see what will blow.

Song

Tune: Farmer in the Dell – wave scarves as you sing.

The wind is blowing high. The wind is blowing low
The wind is blowing fast fast fast. The wind is blowing slow
The wind is blowing high. The wind is blowing low.
The wind is blowing round and round. Oh how that wind does blow.

Book

The Wind Blew by Hutchins. (Video preview.) The wind steals a man’s umbrella, then hats and scarves and so on, and everyone chases after the things that have blown away. Or Like a Windy Day by Frank and Devin Asch. (Video) The narrator imagines what it would be like to be the wind, and talks about all the things that blow in the wind. Other options are Wind by Bauer or I Face the Wind by Cobb.

Optional Extension – Wind Tube

We have a wind tube, a clear plastic tube mounted on a fan. The kids place something on the fan and watch it blow up in the air and out the top of the tube. (Learn how to make a wind tube.) We test items like: scarf, TP tube, water bottle, wood block, big pompom, pipe cleaners, feather, piece of pool noodle, foam letter, plastic tray or dish, tissue paper, snack tray, dixie cups, toy food, toy money, train track.

Find more wind-themed activities here.