Things You'll Need:
- Clean, empty glass bottle with a wide mouth
- Scissors
- Balloon
- Rubber band
- Glue
- Tape (optional)
- Straw
- Long pin, sewing needle or toothpick
- Note paper
- Pen or Pencil
-
Step 1
Cut off the end of the balloon so you're left with a piece of stretchy rubber.
-
Step 2
Stretch the piece of balloon over the mouth of the clean glass bottle. Secure it with the rubber band.
-
Step 3
Cut the straw down so it's about three inches long. Place a dot of glue inside one end of the straw. Secure the pin, needle or toothpick in the glue so that it sticks out to make a pointer. Allow the glue to dry.
-
Step 4
Place a dot of glue in the middle of the balloon. Lay one end of the straw horizontally in the glue; it'll stick out like a little diving board over the edge of the bottle. Let the glue dry.
-
Step 5
Check to see that the straw is secure. If it is, you now have a homemade barometer. Place your barometer on a flat surface with the pin, needle or toothpick pointing at the wall. Tape your piece of note paper on the wall in front of the pointer. Draw a horizontal line on the paper level to where the pointer is pointing. As atmospheric pressure increases, the pointer will rise up over the line, indicating good weather. As pressure drops, so will the pointer, indicating foul weather.
-
Step 6
Take notes on the paper about the weather conditions outside. You might notice that the pointer drops way down if a hurricane blows through. And you might be in the midst of a drought if the pointer goes far above the line.
