Activity: Understanding Clouds

Help children learn about how clouds are formed as part of Heavenly Father’s creations.

The following experiment shows how clouds are formed.

Materials needed:

• A glass jar
• Boiling water
• Ice
• Aerosol hair spray
• A jar lid or paper plate

Instructions:

1. Pour boiling water into the jar until the water reaches about two inches (5 cm) up the side of the jar. Carefully swirl the water inside the jar to heat the sides.
2. Place the lid upside down on the jar. Fill the lid with ice and leave it on top of the jar for a minute or two.
3. Quickly lift the lid and spray some hair spray into the jar. Immediately place the lid and ice back on the jar.
4. You will notice a cloud forming in the jar. Within a few minutes, the entire inside of the jar will be a cloud.

Explain what happened:

• Warm, wet air rises from the boiling water inside the jar and meets with the cold air below the ice.
• When the warm air meets with the cold air, it creates water droplets.
• The hair spray creates particles that give water droplets something to form onto, just as dust and other particles in the air help form real clouds in the sky.

Have the children release the cloud from the jar and repeat the activity.

Afterward, spend time outdoors watching the clouds. See what shapes the children can spot. See if they can tell a story with the shapes they find in the sky, with each person taking a turn adding a sentence to the story.

Please adapt activities as necessary to ensure all individuals are able to participate, belong, and contribute.

• Create clouds with breath:
  • Have the children cup their hands around their mouths and breathe into their hands. Help them notice that their breath is warm and moist.
  • Pass out drinking glasses or metal spoons. Have the children notice that the glass or metal feels cool. Invite the children to hold the object close to their mouths and exhale. A tiny cloud will appear on the glass or metal.
  • Explain that clouds form when warm, moist air meets colder air.
• Talk about different cloud types with the children. Consider making different kinds of clouds with things like cotton candy, cotton balls, or shaving cream. Talk about what different types of clouds tell us about the weather.
  • Cumulus clouds are big, fluffy clouds that predict fair weather.
  • Cirrus clouds are thin and airy like cotton candy; they predict a change in the weather.
  • Stratus clouds are low-floating gray clouds that may predict rain or snow.
  • Nimbus clouds are puffy gray clouds that predict rain or snow.
• Service idea: Help the children create a piece of art featuring clouds and add an uplifting quote to it. Invite them to give the art to a neighbor or someone in your ward who could use a pick-me-up.

Encourage children to talk about how what they are learning can help them and others grow closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity and should last just a few minutes. You could ask questions like the following:

• Why is it important that God created clouds? What do clouds do for us? What would happen if there weren’t any rain?
• How can understanding how nature works help us become more like Jesus Christ, the Creator?

• Learning about Stars
• Mapping the Solar System
• Exploring Science
• Learning about Music
• Learning Is Fun
• How Plants Grow
• Discovering and Appreciating Animals
• Learning to Cook