City Heat Islands
In this activity, you will
explore outside and learn about how heat builds up in cities, making cities heat islands.
Supplies Required
- Pencils
- Paper
- 1 liter bottle of water
- Paintbrush
- Watch or timer
The Challenge
Why are cities warmer than their surroundings? It’s called the urban heat island effect. There are a lot of different surfaces in the city and the Sun can heat up these surfaces. Shade and how much Sunlight all affect how hot a surface like the sidewalk can get. In cities, there are a lot of surfaces that get heated up by the Sun and not a lot of shade to keep things cool. That’s why cities are often warmer than their surroundings.
Problem and Hypothesis
[contact-form-7 id="18628" title="STEM book form SCI 1"]Let’s Experiment and Build!
Instructions
- With adult supervision, find a spot of sidewalk that is in the Sun.
- Using a paint brush and water, make the same water drawing on the sidewalk.
- Make a prediction! What will happen to the water drawing?
- Watch the drawing, using a timer or watch keep track of how long it takes for the drawing to disappear. Record the time and your observations.
- Find a spot of sidewalk covered in shade. Draw the same drawing you drew before on this spot.
- Watch the drawing, using a timer or watch keep track of how long it takes for the drawing to disappear. Record the time and your observations.
- Compare your results, what did you discover?
- Repeat the experiment on a spot of grass in the Sun and a spot of grass in the shade.
Experiment, Analysis, and Conclusion
[contact-form-7 id="18626" title="STEM book form SCI 2"]Think about it and Additional Resources
What do you think will happen with the grass? Does the sidewalk get hotter than the grass?
Learn more about city heat islands with this PBS Kids activity: https://tinyurl.com/37bk8823
Share on social media: Record a video or take a picture of your activity
and post the results online using the hashtags:
#Cityheatislands
#ProjectExploration
#StemAtHome
Tag a friend and challenge them to do it, too!
For more activities like this one, go to www.projectexploration.org/stemhome. If you’re interested in learning more about Project Exploration and our free events, programs, and activities, please find us on social media and be sure to follow!
Call or text us for help: 312-772-6634
In this video, you will…
- Hear NASA Scientists explain why cities are usually hotter than the surrounding countryside