Weather or Not

Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Well, you can certainly prepare for it, enjoy it, and even make it.

Connect:

• How does weather happen? Check out Weather WizKids, which includes explanations about climate and many kinds of weather: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
• See some striking pictures of lightning, and learn how it works at http://www.chaseday.com/lightning.htm
• Check out this cloud boutique about different types of cloud formations: http://vortex.plymouth.edu/clouds.html/
• Did you know that there are different kinds of weather maps? Check them out at http://www.intellicast.com/. You can track weather, find out about weather alerts, as well as check the weather in your area.
• Weather occurs in outer space, not just on earth, such as geomagnetic storms. You may have heard about sun storms. NASA has great images and info about the sun-earth environment: http://www.spaceweather.com/

Create:

•  Make a tornado in a bottle, following the directions at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42CPZLtnevAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbHrbj8iS and http://www.ehow.com/way_5914962_homemade-tornado-tube.html
• You can even make your own weather station! http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/kids/things-to-do/weather-station
• Bay Kids’Weather Page (http://library.thinkquest.org/3805/) was created by sixth graders. It’s filled with facts, stories, and activities. You can add to this site.
• El Niño means more than “infant; it’s unusually hot weather caused by hot water from western South America. You can simulate El Niño by following the directions from the Franklin Institute: http://sln.fi.edu/weather/nino/index.html

Care:

• It’s important to be prepared for stormy weather. Owlie Skywarn’s comic book format provides practical tips for a variety of storms: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/OwlieSkywarnBrochure.pdf
• You know, animals get cold too. The American Animal Hospital Association shares winter pet care: http://www.weather.com/outlook/homeandgarden/pets/articles/d59
• You may have heard about global climate change. You can actually be part of the solution by participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency work: http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html
• You can share your photos about weather with the rest of the world. Submit them at http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/tags/weather/

Careers:

What can you do about the weather? Make a career out of it! You can watch it, record it, communicate about it, measure it, predict it, and respond to it. Here are some possibilities.  Some of the key terms associated with weather careers include “atmospheric science,” “meteorology,” “

• http://www.nwas.org/links/career_info.php
• http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather_ed/careers_in_meteorology/
• http://www.ametsoc.org/pubs/careers.html