What's the weather like?

The weather is something that affects all of us. Although maybe you are not aware of it, I am sure that you usually check the weather forecast before going outside to know what clothes wear, if you need to bring an umbrella, etc. Today, we are going to focus on meteorology and its close relation to Mathematics, especially to probability and statistics.

Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. The meteorological phenomena are bound by the variables that exist in Earth’s atmosphere. All of these variables can be measured through different instruments. Meteorologists are the people who analyse and study the atmospheric conditions of a place. After some time, they can talk about a kind of climate to this studied area. Finally, they can make predictions and elaborate forecasts that we normally consult.

Meteorological forecasts are completed processes in which lots of variables and elements are involved. Meteorologists measure and analyse temperature, precipitation, air pressure, humidity, etc. and they use different instruments to collect data. The most common tool is the thermometer, which is used to measure the temperature. The wind can be measured with the anemometer (speed) and the weather vane (direction). The barometer measures the atmospheric pressure whereas the rain meter collects the precipitations. In the following video, the students can learn about different types of weather.

After seeing all these contents, I wonder, how can we apply them at school? We have to think about different ideas. For instance, in my last Practicum, the children measured the temperature every day with a thermometer that they had in a window and they noted the grades down in their notebooks with the date and a drawing of the weather. It was quite simple and it helped them to know the temperature of each day, their variations and the atmospheric weather just by watching at the sky and expressing their views. They also noted down the season. In the end, they carried out a brief debate about the weather changes, their impressions, etc.

It could be a great activity for your classes and I would add something more. Since we are dealing with probability, it would be positive that everyday children look for the probability of precipitation, which appears in the official app of the AEMET, for instance. They can note it down too and draw conclusions about probability with the example of the weather. Using this app, they can also work with other items, such as wind speed or direction. If we want to go further, they can represent the collected data in some graphics so that they will study statistics at the same time. This is the link of the official page: AEMET Official Webpage

Let's cooking!

Have you ever thought about how fun is cooking with children? Cooking is a free-time activity that we can do at home or school if we have the suitable means. Children love cooking because it is a different activity in which they can discover and create. Furthermore, it can have several pedagogical purposes. In the field of nutrition, we can teach our students how is the process to cook the food that we eat and what are the nutrients and vitamins of each ingredient that we use. In this way, children will be aware of the importance of a healthy diet. But, what about Maths?

In the field of our subject, cooking has an essential role since it deals with lots of numbers, quantities and units of measurement. For this reason, in this post, we suggest an activity based on cooking following a recipe. We are going to prepare a sponge cake! This home-made cake is much healthier than any other processed baked goods that children usually eat, so it can be a great idea to take it for the afternoon snack.

The most important task for the students will be to prepare the ingredients. They will have to measure and weigh the different quantities. The ingredients that we need are:

The ingredients should be measured using different instruments. To weigh them, we can use a typical kitchen balance. For the liquids, there are different pans available to measure the capacity, though it can be interesting to use a meter jar because students can observe the units. There is also a possibility to measure the different ingredients using the yoghurt container as a unit of measurement. Moreover, if we want to make the activity more challenging, we can give the recipe to the children with the ingredients in different units of measurement (grams, kilos, etc.), so they will have to transform them into the same unit. 

Once all the ingredients have been mixed and we have the dough, it’s time to bake it in the oven. At this moment, our students will have to measure the time that it is necessary (35 minutes) and the temperature of the oven (180ºC).

Finally… we can taste our creation!