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ARE RAINDROPS ALL THE SAME SIZE? On a rainy day, pour some flour through a sifter into a pie pan until the flour in the pan is 1/2 inch deep. Cover the pan with a large plate, and take it outdoors. Hold it in the rain, uncover it, and let the rain fall into the flour for three seconds. Cover the pan with the plate, and go back indoors. When the pan is uncovered again, you will see wet round lumps where the raindrops fell. Let the lumps dry for about three hours, then use the sifter to separate the lumps from the rest of the flour. Measure the lumps with a ruler, or seriate them by size to learn something about the relative size of raindrops. (Note: The lumps will be slightly larger than the actual raindrops.) If records are kept, the sizes of raindrops can be compared during different parts of a storm or between different storms. Another way to measure the size of raindrops is to prepare hoop screens by stretching pieces of discarded nylon stockings over embroidery hoops. When each screen is stretched tightly, staple or tack it in place, then trim away the excess stocking. On a rainy day, press the screens into a large pan with powdered sugar sprinkled in it. Tap off any excess sugar, cover the screens, take them outdoors, and hold them horizontally in the rain. Uncover the screens, and allow raindrops to fall on them for a timed period such as 30 seconds. Cover the screens again, and take them back to the classroom. If the screens are held up against a dark background, you will see darkened spots where each raindrop removed the sugar as it fell through the screen. Diameters can be compared with a ruler. Samples taken in different locales or at different times during the rainfall can also be compared. If you are outside before rain begins to fall, you can see the diameter of the first drops as they hit the sidewalk and spread laterally. If you're quick, you can catch just one drop in a small container, and measure it. Mom would surely allow you to use a measuring spoon. In summer when it's hot outside, the raindrops appear huge, and very wet. Summer rains often last only a few minutes, and the moisture will evaporate shortly afterward. Rain is fun. Sometimes it seems to fall from the sky, almost lazily. Other times, it comes down as though it were forced. Maybe the wind forces it to fall hard and fast. Maybe you should search for more information on the subject of rainfall so as to find out why it comes down at different speeds. On warm summer days when it rains, it is fun to go swimming. When I lived on Lake Oswego in Oregon, I would run down my back yard and jump in the lake when the rain began. I don't know why it is so fun, but it is! I guess if one is warm and not dressed in street clothes, it is okay to get wet. The rain water is frequently warmer than the lake water, and the feeling of being cool and wet contrasted with the warm water coming down is interesting. It is interesting also, to watch raindrops striking leaves of plants. Hard rain bends the leaves more than gentle rains. If your eyes can follow the drops, you can see if the leaf below the one that the rain just hit was hit as hard as the top leaf. If the rain isn't hard enough to bend the leaves, some of the water runs down the stem to the trunk, and thence to the plant's roots. That's pretty good.  Any problems with this page? Send URL to
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