Homemade Clouds

It is winter in Ohio and we are all too familiar with the gray wash that has become the sky. Many days we look out the window to see that we are covered in a thick misty blanket of light gray. So naturally the question has come up, "how are clouds made"? "Why are they so high up"? "What does a cloud feel like"?

Yesterday I had a total guilty mom moment when I said, "no" to a request for a winter walk outdoors. I was feeling a bit reluctant to bundle the kids to the max when the temperature was only in the teens, only to bring them right back in. I should have though - as I have made a promise to myself to get them out and let experience the winter ( even if it is just for a few minutes, even when I would rather stay put and stay warm!). They need to get out....

But I can feel good about our morning because we did do something really cool. Something that is linked to the great outdoors but could be done from the comfort of our dining room table. We made clouds!!

This activity could not have been any simpler and along the way a lot of questions about clouds were answered too.

What You Need:

- Clear Glass Jar

- Lid, Small Tray, or Small Plate

- Ice Cubes

- Warm Water

- Hair Spray or Smoke From a Match

Using Warm to Hot water (but not boiling), fill the jar a couple inches. We used a lid from a tin we had, but whatever you use flip it over and fill it with ice. Spray the hairspray into the jar OR if you are using the match blow it out into the jar to fill it with smoke. Place the lid with the ice on it on top of the jar and watch the magic happen! Instantly you will see swirly condensation and cloud formation!

Essentially clouds are formed when water attaches itself to particles in the air. I explained to my son, that this is typically NOT hairspray! But instead, smoke, pollution, salt (from saltwater evaporation), dust, or other particles that can be found i in the atmosphere. I also mentioned to him that clouds form up high because that is where the cooler air tends to be. Warm air rises and cool air sinks, so when the warm air heated by our water rose and it met the cool air from the ice, the moisture mixed with the particles we introduced made a cloud!

Now for the coolest part yet...Releasing the Cloud!

Yes, making the cloud was fun but the true beauty of this experiment came when the kids got to interact with the cloud. Lift off the lid and you can watch the cloud escape from the jar. Put your fingers in the jar as this happens and you get to touch a cloud.

We also played with ice. I mean what kid doesn't like ice cubes, right? Here are some pics from our Homemade Cloud Adventure...