🌡️ Temperature 📚 Grade 3-4 ⏱ 6 min
Temperature for Kids: Understanding the Thermometer
A thermometer is a ready-made vertical number line. Let us look at how to read degrees and compare temperatures.
The thermometer as a vertical number line
Zero on a thermometer marks the freezing point of water. Above zero is warm, below is cold. The higher the column, the warmer; the lower, the colder.
💡 Anchor: use a real outdoor thermometer daily — "how many degrees today?" becomes a routine question.
Comparing temperatures
Rule: the number closer to positive infinity is warmer, even if both are negative.
-2°C is warmer than -10°C
+5°C is warmer than -3°C
-2°C is warmer than -10°C
+5°C is warmer than -3°C
Practice
It was -5°C, then warmed by 8 degrees. What now? (3°C)
It was 4°C, then cooled by 10 degrees. What now? (-6°C)
FAQ
Why can temperature be negative?
Zero marks water's freezing point, not "complete absence of heat." Below freezing, temperature goes into the negatives.
🌡️ The number line is the base of temperature!
Our game trains understanding of numbers and their order.
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