Cloud in a Jar STEM Activity
- STEM activities are a great way for kids to learn and have fun! For those of you new to this term, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM is very important within the educational curriculum because it teaches children critical thinking skills and plays with creativity to help with innovation! STEM activities can range from very basic and easy but can also be very complex and time consuming. Depending how much time you have, try some at home STEM activities to get your children excited to learn and be creative!
There are thousands of STEM activities to be found on the internet, plenty of which can be done at home with little supplies needed! We will be posting some easy at-home STEM activities for some inspiration. This week, we are going to learn how to make a cloud in a jar!
Supplies Needed:
Supplies Needed:- Glass jar with a lid (mason jar)
- Cup of hot water (not boiling, but hot)
- Ice (a few cubes)
- Aerosol spray (something like hairspray)
Step 1: Pour hot water (not boiling) into jar and close lid
Step 2: Swirl the jar around to heat up the jar
Step 3: Fill lid (upside down) with ice cubes, not yet placing it onto the jar
Step 4: Spray aerosol into jar and quickly place ice filled lid on top of jar
Step 5: Watch the cloud form inside the jar. Take the lid off to watch the cloud escape from the jar.
What is happening?
Well, clouds need a few things in order to form. There needs to be a mixture of warm, moist air which was the reason for swirling the hot water around to warm the jar at the beginning. Secondly, clouds form from a cooling process which was why we added the ice sitting on top of the jar. Lastly, clouds need a nucleus in order to allow water vapor to condense which was created when we added particles with the aerosol spray!
Here is a great link from the NASA Climate Kids website that further describes this process in a kid-friendly manner!
If you are interested in trying out another fun, easy (& yummy) STEM experiment, check out or ‘Ice Cream in a Bag’ STEM activity up on the blog!
If there are any STEM activities you would like to see on the blog, reach out and let us know!