Hot and Cold Deserts

Lab Brief #3

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Deserts receive less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. Hot deserts have extreme daytime temperatures, while cold deserts like Antarctica are dry but freezing.

Key words

climate
The usual weather in a place over many years.
precipitation
Water that falls from clouds as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

thermometer
rain gauge
plastic tray

⚠️ Safety first

Check glassware for chips before use and carry it with both hands.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Set up a weather station: use a thermometer, rain gauge (a jar with a ruler), and wind sock (a plastic bag on a stick). Record data for one week.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Question 1 of 3

A desert receives less than about how much rain per year?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

Which is a cold desert?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What makes a place a desert?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: How Caves Form All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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Hot and Cold Deserts

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