You've heard of it raining cats and dogs ... but what about fish and frogs? It turns out, one scenario is much more likely than the other! Intrepid weather investigators examine the curious behavior of waterspouts using a leaf blower, some clear PVC, and Goldfish crackers. The demonstration shows how low-pressure systems can pull unsuspecting animals and objects upward, where they fall back to earth when rain begins.

Concepts

atmospheric pressure, pressure, weather, tornadoes, rain, wind, making observations

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Locate and show video clips of the phenomenon, such as the small fish that fell in Mexico in 2017
• Use the demonstration to kick off an extreme weather unit in an unusual fashion
  

Classroom Considerations

• Regardless of what you use in the bowl, expect that it will be everywhere at the end of a successful demonstration!
• Some prior knowledge of the relationship between weather and pressure is helpful but not necessary
  

Pros

• The topic is bound to create excitement and interest from start to finish
• Experimental materials are easy to find and set up
  

Cons

• None