What makes wind?
Quick answer from Eartha
Wind is just air rushing from one place to another. The sun warms some places more than others, and warm air becomes lighter and rises up. Cooler, heavier air rushes in underneath to take its place, and that rushing movement is wind. The bigger the difference in temperature, the stronger the wind blows.
The longer story
Wind might feel like magic, but it's really just air on the move. Air is always trying to balance itself out between warm, light patches and cool, heavy patches.
The sun doesn't warm the whole planet evenly. Land near the equator gets heated more than land near the poles, and even a beach and a forest nearby can warm up at different speeds.
Warm air is lighter, so it rises upward, leaving a gap behind it. Cooler, heavier air rushes in to fill that gap, and that rushing air is what we feel as wind.
The bigger the difference between the warm and cool areas, the faster the air rushes in, which is why some winds are gentle breezes and others are powerful gusts. This constant swapping of warm and cool air is happening all around our planet, all the time.
Try this at home: feel wind you make
- Hold a piece of paper in front of your face and wave a fan or your hand quickly.
- Feel the air pushing against your skin.
- Try waving slowly, then quickly, and notice how the wind feels stronger when you move faster.
Words to know
- warm air
- Air that has been heated and become lighter, so it rises.
- pressure
- How much air is pushing in a certain spot.
- breeze
- A gentle, light wind.
For grown-ups: what is my child learning here?
Age band: Ages 5-8
Curriculum link: Australian Curriculum v9 Science, Year 1 to Year 3, Earth and Space Sciences strand: observing and describing weather and how it changes.
The concept: The child is learning that wind is caused by air moving between warmer and cooler areas.
More classroom ideas are on our teachers page, and safety notes for families are on for parents.
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