Weather vane

When you see a weather vane on a roof or in a field, it tells you which way the wind is blowing. It's like a giant arrow that points in the direction the wind is coming from.

A weather vane has a special design so that it can spin around easily. The part that spins is usually on top of a post or rod. On top of the spinning part is a picture or shape, like a rooster or an arrow. The picture always faces into the wind, which helps the spinning part move around.

When a strong wind blows, it can make the spinning part move quickly. But when the wind is calmer, the spinning part moves slowly. This is how a weather vane lets us know how strong the wind is and where it's coming from.

Weather vanes have been used for a very long time, even before we had computers and satellites to predict the weather. They were very helpful to farmers and sailors who needed to know which way the wind was blowing to make decisions about planting crops or setting sail on a ship.