Understanding the Weather [ 441 



pour it into a tall thin jar (such as an olive jar) about a third as 

 big around as the can. Mark the level to which it comes, using 

 permanent paint, and divide the space between this level and the 

 bottom of the jar into ten equal parts. 



Place the can with its top removed on a stand so that the top is 

 level and about two and a half feet from the ground. After a rain, 

 pour the water that has accumulated in the can into your measur- 

 ing jar. In this way you can easily measure even as little rainfall 

 as a tenth of an inch. By keeping a chart for recording the results 

 of each storm, a youngster has the added fun of weather recording. 



Studying the Weather Is More Than Fun 



There is a real need among weather scientists for greater knowl- 

 edge of local weather variations. Your child might even succeed in 

 making a useful contribution to this field; and, no matter what 

 occupation or profession he follows in later life, his interest in 

 the weather will never leave him. If his activity is connected with 

 aviation or related sciences, weather study may be of great im- 

 portance to him. Or at the other end of the scale he may merely 

 want to know whether he can expect clear weather for taking his 

 family on an outing. 



Whatever your child grows up to be, his first experiences as a 

 weather recorder or prophet will be prized memories. Indeed, all 

 his happy associations with the out-of-doors his enjoyment of ani- 

 mals and his appreciation of trees and flowers will be greatly en- 

 riched if he has pleasant memories of a childhood in which he 

 explored the surprises and delights of nature with his parents. 



