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October 22, 2018 by Jenae - 23 Comments
This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

Making It Rain: Rain Cloud In A Jar

rain cloud in a jar

Making It Rain

Due to Big Brother’s fascination (and fear) of various types of weather, I thought now would be a great time to start a new Weather Thematic Unit.  We’re not forecasted to receive any rain for the next couple weeks around here (which we desperately need), so perhaps our little experiment will rub off on the weather!

This water cycle project idea (and many others that we’ll be trying) came from Weather Wiz Kids. Take a look at the site (created by a meteorologist), it’s got tons of great ideas!

How To Make It Rain

You will need:

  • glass jar
  • plate
  • water
  • ice cubes

What to do:

making it rain
1. Heat your water until it is steaming.

 

making it rain
2. Pour the hot water into a jar until it is about 1/3 filled. Put a plate on the top of the jar. Wait a minute or two before the next step.

 

making it rain in a glass jar
3. Put the ice cubes on top of the plate and watch closely to see what happens inside the jar.

 

making it rain
4. Streaks of water will run down the side of the jar, making rain!

This rain in a jar activity would probably be more appropriate for children who are slightly older, but Big Brother enjoyed it (for about 20 seconds, anyway). :)

Can Your Science Explain Why It Rains?

Wonder what makes it rain… Go here under “explanation” to find out!

This post was first published June 2011. Updated 2018.

Literature Link

 
Rain by Robert Kalan & Donald Crews
A colorful and wonderfully-illustrated book for young readers, simple and repetitive!

Click here for more easy science ideas:

Bouncy Egg Experiment

Making It Rain Experiment

Science Experiments for Kids

How To Make A Homemade Lava Lamp

Oobleck Recipe: Liquid or Solid?

Ice Cream In A Bag Experiment

Awesome Science Fair Project Ideas for Kids

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    June 7, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    This is great we did something similar, except we made our ice blue! Come by and check it out http://habeebeehomeschooling.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/indoor-rain/

    Reply
  2. Crisc says

    March 18, 2012 at 10:34 pm

    Awesome project, found it on Pinterest. I have it pinned for a project tomorrow and that post will go up next Monday. I always link back to the “pin” but if you like I will link directly here. Just let me know =)

    Reply
  3. mom2kmjx2 says

    June 16, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    We are in a drought and burn ban. Going to do this tomorrow after church since we need some lol.

    Reply
  4. Laura Brown says

    July 14, 2012 at 8:33 am

    I am sorry that you did not have a good experience in school, but many teachers I have the experience of knowing do teach this way.

    Reply
  5. Birdie says

    August 21, 2012 at 5:17 pm

    How neat! I think that I will do this with my children, nieces, and nephews! :)

    Reply
  6. Jessica says

    March 8, 2013 at 7:24 am

    Thanks for the idea! We tried it and I blogged about it today and linked up to this page too! Please come check out my post: http://savegreenbeinggreen.blogspot.com/2013/03/kids-crafts-inspired-from-pinterest.html

    Reply
  7. braeden says

    May 8, 2013 at 7:36 pm

    that was the worst ever it didn’t work at all.

    Reply
    • Janelle Stender says

      April 24, 2014 at 10:32 pm

      You need to look at the bottom of the plate inside the jar. Look closely, as water vapor condenses to form water droplets on the bottom of the plate inside the jar. For more of a visual instead of a plate put plastic wrap over the top of the jar and seal with tape or a large rubber band. You will really see the condensation on the plastic wrap. Do not be so quick to judge until you fully understand the experiment. This one does work and it teachers the water cycle process.

      Reply
    • Janelle Stender says

      April 24, 2014 at 10:33 pm

      You need to look at the bottom of the plate inside the jar. Look closely, as water vapor condenses to form water droplets on the bottom of the plate inside the jar. For more of a visual instead of a plate put plastic wrap over the top of the jar and seal with tape or a large rubber band. You will really see the condensation on the plastic wrap. Do not be so quick to judge until you fully understand the experiment. This one does work and it teaches the water cycle process.

      Reply
  8. techtv says

    May 9, 2013 at 1:10 am

    what a cool idea…..

    Reply
  9. rach says

    June 12, 2013 at 12:00 pm

    This was the worst experiment ever. You don’t even need the ice, it is just the water from the steam rolling down the sides of the glass jar.

    Reply
  10. kristina says

    August 20, 2013 at 11:39 pm

    This is totally cool! I am pinning it to our Donald Crews Virtual Book Club for Kids Pinterest board. I’d love for you to come link it up in our Donald Crews blog hop if you have a sec http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2013/08/alphabet-train-matching-activity-for.html

    Reply
  11. Related Site says

    October 25, 2013 at 8:50 am

    Wonderful website you’ve got here.

    Reply
  12. GinaB says

    February 7, 2015 at 12:22 pm

    So cool. I have it down for this weeks letter of the week science project. R for Rain.

    Reply
  13. Vee says

    March 30, 2015 at 11:58 am

    That’s so cool!

    Reply
  14. Amanda says

    September 24, 2015 at 6:37 am

    Hi Jenae! I love this project for teaching about part of the hydrologic cycle. I put a link to it in my latest blog post to share with my readers (thank you!!). I love your blog!!

    Reply
  15. katie says

    February 12, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    Can I microwave the water? We can not have hot plates in the classroom…

    Reply
  16. Helena Orstem says

    February 27, 2019 at 3:24 am

    This was the worst experiment ever. You don’t even need the ice, it is just the water from the steam rolling down the sides of the glass jar.

    Reply
  17. Sharon Gore says

    June 12, 2019 at 11:54 am

    I think that I will do this with my children. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  18. Daily Calendar says

    August 12, 2019 at 3:13 am

    Kids will love it.

    Reply
  19. Sally says

    August 29, 2019 at 8:24 am

    I think it is a good experiment. A good idea is to place a long handled metal spoon into the jar, before pouring the hot water into the jar. The metal spoon will take the heat, instead of the jar, and help to prevent the jar from cracking with the hot water.

    Reply

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