Weather Gifts and Toys for Science-Loving Kids

How do we keep track of weather? How do we chart and predict it? If your child is a budding meteorologist, she might enjoy some of these weather-related toys.

Why Weather Toys are Cool

The weather has always captivated humans. It is all around us and constantly changing and it can bring about some pretty amazing scenes.

We can see cirrus clouds scudding across the sky, cumulus clouds turning gray and becoming storm clouds. We notice a bright sky darkening on the horizon, with winds picking up, as a storm brews. Thunder booms and lightning strikes. Tornadoes form and meander through towns destroying anything in their paths.

All of this and more can be both scary and quite fascinating, even for children. For some kids, it can even be the start of a career studying the weather and toys like these can help them play with that interest.

Discovery Kids Extreme Weather Tornado Lab

Child outdoors in the rain — Sally Anscombe / Getty Images

This lab kit is a water-filled container that simulates the creation and action of a tornado in miniature, of course.

Watching the spinning tornado really is fascinating. The clear sides allow you to watch the tornado as it forms and then watch as it spins. The top is clear, providing you with a look down into the vortex of the tornado.

Small plastic balls and foam squares are included to make it easier to see what is going on when the tornado forms and as it spins. Do they stay at the bottom and spin around or...?

This lab has a 5-speed control. For ages 6 and up.

4M Weather Station Kit

Perhaps your child is more interested in everyday weather rather than extreme weather like tornadoes. This weather station is a nice little kit to get a child started.

It helps kids understand what it means to observe and record weather data. It has a wind vane, an anemometer, a thermometer, and a rain gauge.

Also included is a bottle where kids can plant a seed to create a terrarium and experiment with the greenhouse effect.

Ages 8 and up.

Smart Lab You Track It Weather Lab

This is another great item for budding meteorologists. The lab includes weather measuring “tools” like an anemometer, compass, weather vane/thermometer, rain gauge, and weatherboard complete with a cloud chart. But that’s not all!

There is also great information about the extreme weather on the planet like the highest temperature ever recorded. Five weather-related experiments are also included and any kid will get a kick out of using crickets to predict the weather.

Ages 7 and up.

Learning Resources Weather Tracker

Who doesn’t want to be a weatherman? Okay, I’m sure there are a few who don’t, but I’m also sure there are a lot of kids who find the job of TV weathermen and women to be a dream job.

With this board, kids can learn about the weather and even pretend to be a TV weatherman.

They will learn about isobars, jet streams, wind chills, and other earthly events that affect our weather. Kids can chart temperatures on the dry erase board and stick the vinyl weather symbols on the map just like we see on a weatherman’s map!

Ages 5 and up.

Interactive Weather Map Bulletin Board Set

This 34” x 24” map can really make a child feel like a weatherman!

It has more than 150 weather symbols that can be stuck on the map to keep track of clouds, rain, sun, and even tornadoes and hurricanes. The board also comes with a resource guide.

Ages 9 and up.

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