Outdoor Learning Stations: Weather and Cardinal Directions

The weather station in your Habitat Lab includes various weather instruments that you and your students can use to measure, record, and track weather conditions over time.

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Weather Instruments | Materials Budget & Construction Instructions | Activity Resources | Maintenance Tips | Example Photos

Weather Instruments

Thermometer measures the air temperature.
Anemometer (pictured right) measures wind speed.
Hygrometer measures humidity, or the amount of water vapor in the air.
Rain gauge measures the amount of rain that has fallen over a specific time period.
Barometer measures air pressure in the atmosphere, also called barometric pressure.
Wind sock is a cone-shaped tube of fabric, which resembles a giant sock, attached to pole that rotates. It helps us determine wind direction and relative wind speed.
Cardinal directions sign, for which we have a separate materials list and estimated budget (see below), includes directional signs pointing North, South, East, and West attached to a 4”x4” post. Use the cardinal directions sign in your Habitat Lab along with your wind sock to determine the direction the wind is blowing.

Project Plan: Materials Budget & Construction Instructions

These FREE Materials Budget documents include a list of all of the materials needed to construct a weather station and cardinal directions sign (listed below) on your own.

Weather Station (PDF)
Cardinal Directions Sign (PDF)

Activity Resources

AWF’s Student Investigations

Use AWF’s “Investigate Our Climate & Weather” webpage to help your students discover the difference between climate and weather and learn how you can measure your local weather conditions in your Habitat Lab.

AWF’s Habitat Lab Field Investigation Activities

Below are free activity pages related to weather:

Seasonal Weather Observations (K-1st): (Version #1: PDF) (Version #2: PDF) – Students record their seasonal weather observations in the Habitat Lab. AL Science Standard Kindergarten #9: Observe, record, and share findings of local weather patterns over a period of time (e.g., increase in daily temperature from morning to afternoon, typical rain and storm patterns from season to season). AL Science Standard 1^st Grade #9: Observe seasonal patterns of sunrise and sunset to describe the relationship between the number of hours of daylight and the time of year (e.g., more hours of daylight during summer as compared to winter).
Weather Data Log (3rd-5th): (PDF) – Students record the weather forecast, and then log in real-time weather data from the Weather Station into a Weather Data Chart, examining temperature changes throughout the day using a line graph. AL Science Standard 3rd Grade #13: Display data graphically and in tables to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season (e.g., average temperature, precipitation, wind direction).

Maintenance Tips

When creating your weekly maintenance checklist for your Habitat Lab, be sure to include daily weather data collection as well as weekly emptying of the rain gauge. Take a look at our Habitat Lab Maintenance Tips for more information.