FALL FUN: Easy DIY Pine Cone Weather Predictor Kids Will Love

Parent of littles, I have a fun and educational craft/experiment for you to do this fall involving pinecones. When my son was younger, we were always on the lookout for them as we went on our autumn walks around the neighborhood. Pine cones are so fun to use in different crafts. You can paint them for Christmas ornaments, add googly eyes, use them as stamps, or even make bird feeders out of them.

CANVA

I can't believe I went my whole life without knowing something REALLY cool about what pine cones can do. I recently learned that you can also use them to predict the weather. I know folks look to foggy days, wooly worms, and persimmons to forecast snow and winter, but when it comes to knowing whether it is going to rain, the pine cones make it easy.

CANVA

How to Predict the Weather With a Pine Cone

All you have to do is hang a pine cone from a string somewhere outside. According to weatherandradar.com,

There is a commonly held conception that an open pine cone is a sign of good weather. This statement is actually correct! In damp conditions, the structure of pine cones become more flexible and have a ‘closed’ shape. This results in the scales absorbing moisture and shielding the seeds inside until better days arrive.

When dry conditions arrive, the outer parts of a pine cone’s scales become drier, resulting in the cone opening. Therefore it is easy to check humidity levels based on their shape.

CANVA

Fall Pine Cone Craft Idea

I say make a pretty craft with some pinecones and colorful yarn tied to a stick or wind chimes. Then hang them on your porch to pull double duty as a decoration and precipitation predictor. Your kids will love checking it to see if it is open or closed. It would be fun to keep track of the status and verify its accuracy.