Right, so I dug out this ‘science weather kit’ thing the other day. It was buried in the back of the kid’s closet, probably from a birthday ages ago. Looked simple enough, box wasn’t even that big.
Unpacking the bits
Opened it up. Bunch of plastic parts, you know? A clear tube thingy, a windmill-looking piece, a base, some stickers with numbers, and a little thermometer that looked like it came out of a cheap diary. No batteries, which was a plus, I guess. Instructions were on a single folded sheet, mostly pictures. Looked straightforward, honestly.
Putting it Together
So, I dumped the parts on the kitchen table. The main bit was snapping the clear tube (the rain gauge, obviously) onto the base. Easy peasy. Then the windmill part, the anemometer they call it, slotted onto a little pole. That also clicked right in. The wind vane, the arrow thing, was just as simple, pushed onto another peg. The trickiest part? Getting the tiny thermometer into its slot without snapping the plastic holder. Took a bit of fiddling, but it went in. Then slapped the measurement stickers on the rain gauge tube. Done. Took maybe 10 minutes, tops. No real challenge there.
Setting it Up Outside
Took the assembled kit out back. Found a spot on the fence post that was sort of open, hoping it would catch the wind and rain properly. Just placed it there, the base was wide enough it didn’t seem like it would fall over immediately. Looked a bit… well, like a plastic toy weather station sitting on the fence. Which it is, I suppose.
Watching the Weather… Sort Of
Been checking it most days now.
- Temperature: The little thermometer strip basically just tells you if it’s hot, warm, or cool. Not exactly precise, but it moves. Matches the weather app on my phone, roughly.
- Rain: We had one decent shower. The tube caught some water. Looked like maybe half an inch according to the sticker I put on. Simple enough to see. Poured it out afterwards.
- Wind Speed: The windmill thing spins when it’s breezy. No idea how fast, there’s no counter or anything. It just spins. Faster if it’s windier, slower if it’s not. Groundbreaking stuff.
- Wind Direction: The arrow points. Seems to generally line up with which way the trees are blowing.
So, What’s the Verdict?
Look, it’s a basic kit. Very basic. It does what it says on the box, technically. You assemble it, put it outside, and it vaguely shows you the current conditions. Did it turn my kids into budding meteorologists? Nah. They looked at it once, maybe twice. Is it a serious tool? Absolutely not. The plastic feels a bit flimsy, and I doubt the accuracy is anything to write home about. But, it was something to do for half an hour, and it does kinda work. Didn’t cost me anything since it was already here. If you find one cheap or get given one, it’s a harmless little project. Just don’t expect it to replace your weather forecast app. It’s more of a toy, really.