Welcome to the first of a series of weather science related investigations. Rain gauges are easy to make and a simple first science activity for learning about the weather. My children love to check and record the rainfall each day, which has also helped my 2-year-old learn to recognise numbers.
How to make a rain gauge
You’ll need
- An empty jar or plastic bottle ( remove labels )
- Permanent marker
- Tape
- Scissors
- Ruler
Instructions
There are two ways to make the rain gauge: either by using an empty jar or a plastic bottle.
Jar Rain Gauge
Place the ruler on the side of the jar and mark in cm up the side.
Plastic Bottle Rain Gauge
Cut the top off the bottle and place it upside down inside the main body. Get an adult to help, as the edges might be sharp.
Place a ruler on the side of the bottle and mark in cm up the side.
Bury the bottle outside. It should be in an open area and away from any trees which might trap some of the rain. Leave the top sticking out. We didn’t bury ours very well. You might want to put yours further into the ground.
How to record the weather
The important part of recording the weather is that it needs to be done frequently. You should record the amount of rain in the bottle/jar each day and empty the rain gauge each time.
Can you design a table to record the results? Or use my free rainfall recording sheet.
FREE Rain Gauge Instructions and Recording Sheet
Don’t forget to look at my other weather science activity ideas, including making a pinwheel, a storm in a jar and lots more.
Last Updated on June 3, 2026 by Emma Vanstone
I made these with the boys a couple of years back and they loved them. We put the markings on a spoon as they could lift them out to check, which was easier for them
That is a fantastic idea! Thank you. x
Oh, I want to make this!
Let us know how you get on!
My son would so want to do this! thank you for the idea and instructions!!
Neat! We did a bottle outdoors to see how much rain… it filled all the way up. Too much rain 🙂 I like this one better, I think we’ll add this in soon. Thanks for sharing.
Visiting from Science Sunday!
*One Day* I will make a WHOLE weather station with the kids…
Thank you for liking to Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
I am trying to make a whole weather station 🙂
Always finding something interesting on your site- love it! Thank you so much for linking up to The Sunday Showcase.
I’m so glad you like it. x
Thanks for the idea. We are started nature study today and this will be a nice addition.
This is amazing, I really wanna make this.thanks for sharing this.