One windy afternoon, Kyri sat by the window, watching the trees sway and the clouds race across the sky. Reef was outside on his skateboard, trying to do tricks against the gusty wind, and Lucy and Casey were arguing about whether it would rain.
“It’s definitely going to rain,” Lucy said.
“It’s just wind. No way,” Casey argued.
Kyri frowned. “How do we know for sure?”
Mum poked her head into the room. “Why don’t you find out? You love science, Kyri—do a weather experiment!”
Kyri’s eyes lit up. “I’ll become a Weather Scientist! I’ll learn everything about how weather works.”
Reef skated to the door, windblown and grinning. “You need help with this big experiment, little dude?”
“Definitely,” Kyri said. “I’ll need an assistant.”
Setting Up the Weather Station
Kyri had read all about weather in his science books, so he knew exactly what to do. “We’re going to build a weather station,” he told Reef. “It’ll measure the wind, the temperature, and maybe even predict the rain!”
“Alright, Professor Kyri,” Reef said, pulling out his climbing bag. “What do we need?”
Kyri grabbed his notebook and listed off the supplies:
- A thermometer to measure temperature.
- A wind vane to show which direction the wind is blowing.
- A rain gauge to measure rainfall.
- A barometer to track air pressure.
Reef scratched his head. “Sounds complicated. Where do we get all that stuff?”
Kyri grinned. “We’ll make it!”
Making the Weather Tools
First, Kyri and Reef built a wind vane using an old plastic bottle, a pencil, and cardboard cut into the shape of an arrow.
“Wind vanes point into the wind,” Kyri explained as they tested it in the garden. “If the arrow points north, the wind is coming from the north.”
Next, they made a rain gauge. Kyri cut the top off a plastic bottle and stuck a ruler inside. “This will collect rain so we can measure how much falls.”
“Good thing it’s going to stay dry,” Reef teased, but a dark cloud drifted over the sun. Kyri shot him a look.
Finally, they placed a thermometer in a shady spot to track the temperature.
“What about the barometer?” Reef asked.
“We’ll use a jar and a balloon,” Kyri said, grabbing supplies. They stretched a balloon across the jar’s opening and taped a straw on top. “If the straw moves up, the air pressure is high, and we’ll have good weather. If it moves down, it might mean a storm.”
“Science is cool,” Reef said, impressed.
The Experiment Begins
By late afternoon, Kyri’s weather station was up and running. Lucy and Casey came outside to see what all the fuss was about.
“What’s that?” Casey asked, pointing to the wind vane.
“It’s showing us the wind direction,” Kyri explained. “And this rain gauge will tell us if it rains.”
“Did you know,” Kyri added proudly, “that wind is just air moving from high pressure to low pressure? It’s how weather systems work!”
Reef leaned on his skateboard. “And Kyri says storms happen when warm air rises and meets cold air.”
“Wow, you’re both weather nerds,” Lucy said, laughing.
The Storm Arrives
Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew through the garden. The wind vane spun wildly, and the clouds above turned dark and heavy. Kyri checked the barometer.
“The air pressure’s dropping!” he shouted. “That means a storm’s coming!”
Reef stared at the sky. “You sure?”
As if to answer, a low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.
“Rain!” Casey shrieked, running inside. Lucy followed, holding her phone above her head like an umbrella.
Reef and Kyri stayed put, watching as the first raindrops hit the ground. The rain gauge began to fill up, and the wind howled through the trees.
“Did you know,” Kyri said, barely able to contain his excitement, “that thunder happens when lightning heats up the air so fast it makes a shockwave? That’s the boom!”
“Smart fact, Professor,” Reef said, shielding himself with his skateboard.
After the Storm
The storm passed as quickly as it had come, leaving the garden smelling fresh and the sky glowing orange. Kyri ran to the rain gauge.
“We got 2 centimetres of rain!” he announced. “That’s a lot in just 20 minutes.”
Mum came outside and smiled. “Looks like your weather station worked, Kyri. You predicted the storm!”
Reef gave him a high-five. “Future meteorologist right here.”
Kyri grinned. “Did you know meteorologists use satellites and computer models to predict weather? I only had a bottle and a balloon!”
Lucy poked her head out of the door. “The weather app could’ve told you that.”
Kyri shook his head. “But where’s the fun in that?”
The Weather Journal
That evening, Kyri wrote down all the data in his weather journal—the temperature, the wind direction, and how much rain had fallen. He carefully sketched a lightning bolt and wrote:
“Today I learned that science can help you predict the future. And sometimes, the future is wet!”
Reef leaned over his shoulder, still slightly damp. “What’s the next experiment, Professor Kyri?”
Kyri thought for a moment. “Next, I’ll learn how to make a tornado in a bottle!”
Reef groaned. “As long as it doesn’t rain on me again.”
Kyri just smiled. The weather had secrets, and he was going to uncover them all.