Make a Cloud in a Jar: A Fun STEM & Art Lesson Plan for Kids

Discover the perfect hands-on weather lesson! This guide shows you how to make a cloud in a jar, teaching kids about cloud formation, condensation, and water vapor. Includes a fun art activity to learn the main cloud types (Cumulus, Stratus, Cirrus) and creative storytelling prompts. Ideal for homeschooling, classroom science, and curious young minds.

Create Your Own Custom Lesson Plan
PDF

Caspar's Cloud Creator Workshop

Materials Needed

  • A clear glass jar with a lid (a large mason jar is perfect)
  • Hot water (adult supervision required)
  • Aerosol hairspray
  • Ice cubes
  • Blue construction paper
  • White cotton balls
  • Glue
  • A pencil and paper or a notebook
  • Access to a window or an outdoor space for cloud watching

Lesson Overview

This lesson is a hands-on exploration of clouds designed for a curious mind. Instead of just memorizing cloud names, Caspar will become a "cloud creator," making a cloud in a jar, crafting cloud models, and using his imagination to write stories inspired by the sky. The goal is to connect scientific concepts with creativity and observation.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, Caspar will be able to:

  • Identify and describe the three main cloud types (Cumulus, Stratus, Cirrus) using creative analogies.
  • Demonstrate how clouds are formed by successfully creating a "cloud in a jar."
  • Explain the role of water vapor, condensation, and particles (aerosols) in cloud formation.
  • Create a creative work (story or poem) inspired by observing cloud shapes.

Lesson Activities: A Step-by-Step Guide

Part 1: The Cloud Spotter's Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Goal: To spark curiosity and activate prior knowledge.

  1. Go to a window or step outside with Caspar. Look up at the sky together.
  2. Ask engaging questions:
    • "If you could give that cloud a name, what would it be?"
    • "What does that cloud look like to you? Do you see any animals or shapes?" (This is called pareidolia!)
    • "What do you think clouds are made of? How do you think they stay up there?"
  3. Listen to his ideas without correcting. The goal is just to get him thinking like a scientist and an artist.

Part 2: The Amazing "Cloud in a Jar" Experiment (20 minutes)

Goal: To create a tangible model of cloud formation, demonstrating the science in action.

Introduction: "We just wondered how clouds are made. Now, we're going to build one right here in this jar! To make a cloud, you need three secret ingredients: water vapor (invisible water in the air), a way to cool the air down, and something for the water to stick to, like dust or smoke."

  1. Step 1 (Adult supervision needed): Pour about an inch of hot water into the glass jar. Swirl it around carefully to create plenty of warm, moist air (water vapor).
  2. Step 2: Quickly take the lid off and spray a short burst of hairspray into the jar. The hairspray acts as the "dust particles" (aerosols) that water droplets need to form around.
  3. Step 3: Immediately place the lid upside down on top of the jar.
  4. Step 4: Place several ice cubes onto the upside-down lid. The ice will make the lid very cold.
  5. Step 5: Watch closely! As the warm, moist air inside the jar rises and hits the cold lid, it will cool down rapidly. The water vapor will condense onto the hairspray particles, forming a visible cloud inside the jar.
  6. Step 6: After a minute, remove the lid and watch the cloud escape into the room. Discuss what happened: The warm, wet air cooled down, and the water turned from an invisible gas back into tiny liquid droplets we could see!

Part 3: Creative Cloud Crafting (15 minutes)

Goal: To build physical models of the main cloud types, connecting their names to their shapes.

  1. Take out the blue construction paper, cotton balls, and glue. Explain the three main "families" of clouds.
  2. Cumulus Clouds: "These are the puffy, cotton-like clouds you see on sunny days. 'Cumulus' means 'heap' or 'pile.' Let's build a big, puffy cumulus cloud on our paper." Have Caspar glue cotton balls together in a heaped, lumpy shape.
  3. Stratus Clouds: "These are the flat, gray, blanket-like clouds that can cover the whole sky. 'Stratus' means 'to spread out.' Let's make one." Have Caspar stretch and pull a cotton ball thin and glue it across the paper in a flat layer.
  4. Cirrus Clouds: "These are the thin, wispy, feathery clouds found high up in the sky where it's very cold, so they are made of ice crystals. 'Cirrus' means 'curl' or 'wisp of hair.' Let's create one." Have Caspar pull tiny, thin wisps from a cotton ball and glue them in a feathery pattern.
  5. Label each cloud type on the paper. This poster is now Caspar's personal cloud identification chart.

Part 4: Cloud Storytelling (15 minutes)

Goal: To foster creativity and apply observation skills in a new way.

  1. Ask Caspar to look back outside at the clouds (or at a picture of clouds if the sky is clear).
  2. "Find one cloud that you think looks like something else—an animal, a face, a dragon, a ship."
  3. Using his notebook, challenge him to write a short story, a poem, or even just a few sentences about that cloud. What is it doing? Where is it going? Who is on that cloud ship?
  4. Encourage him to be as imaginative as possible. There are no wrong answers.

Assessment & Checking for Understanding

Learning will be assessed through observation and creative output, not a formal test.

  • Conversation: During the "Cloud in a Jar" experiment, ask Caspar to explain what's happening in his own words. ("Why did we need the hot water? What did the ice do?")
  • Cloud Chart: Can Caspar point to his cotton ball models and describe the cloud type in a simple way? ("This is the puffy one," "This one is the flat blanket cloud.")
  • Creative Story: The completed story or poem serves as a wonderful, creative assessment of his engagement and observation skills. Have him share it aloud as the finale of the lesson.

Extension Ideas (For the Extra Curious!)

  • Cloud Journal: Encourage Caspar to keep a cloud journal for a week. Each day, he can draw the clouds he sees, try to identify them using his chart, and write down a sentence about the weather.
  • Extreme Clouds: Research "cumulonimbus" clouds—the giant thunderstorm clouds. What makes them different? Why are they so powerful?
  • Cloud Altitude: Investigate why cirrus clouds are so high and stratus clouds are so low. Draw a diagram showing the different altitudes where clouds live.