Severe Weather Safety PowerPoint for Kids?

[Billy Griffin]

Hope some folks on here can help. I've been asked to speak for my daughter's 4th grade class on severe weather safety and storm chasing.

I'm trying to find NOAA, NWS, SPC, etc. resources or more importantly... does anyone know of a basic severe weather safety powerpoint presentation that is available for use in this type of application?

I've presented to adults before, but this obviously needs to be simplified. I'll incorporate a few photos and video clips from my chases, but mostly want to discuss weather hazards and perhaps give the kids an experiment or two in plotting a basic weather map or forecasting the weather.

Anything info you can share is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

 

[Greg Blumberg]

I'm putting one together for some high school students at the Howard University Summer Weather Camp, but I'm sure that it can be reduced easily. I can't think of any actual basic severe weather safety PowerPoint.

It's really good that you have thought of including some sort of experiment and storm chasing. Talking about weather safety too much to kids can bore them to death. Also, presenting with PowerPoint to 4th graders and even high school students is difficult. These kids have to be interactive in order to learn. That's the way they will remember stuff. For example, actually have them participate in a mock tornado drill (getting down and covering their heads.)

One of the things I really like doing is demonstrating how the storm works using a ping pong ball and a hair dryer. It's a great visual in showing how a storm updraft operates and hail can form.

The real question, before I think any of us can answer you completely is: how long do you have to present this stuff? I'd be absolutely glad to help you in any way I can.

 

[Billy Griffin]

Greg, if you have a PPT product I could view, or purchase from you, I'd be glad to consider that. Many local schools here in WA are asking me to come speak; since obviously, there are few storm chasers here.

I've obtained many public-domain booklets from the Owlie Skywarn series for kids and the Billy and Maria coloring books, but once you get into the 4th grade level and beyond, they're looking for a little more excitement in the presentation!

 

[Craig Curlee]

Hope some folks on here can help. I've been asked to speak for my daughter's 4th grade class on severe weather safety and storm chasing.

I'm trying to find NOAA, NWS, SPC, etc. resources or more importantly... does anyone know of a basic severe weather safety powerpoint presentation that is available for use in this type of application?

I've presented to adults before, but this obviously needs to be simplified. I'll incorporate a few photos and video clips from my chases, but mostly want to discuss weather hazards and perhaps give the kids an experiment or two in plotting a basic weather map or forecasting the weather.

Anything info you can share is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

This might help you. http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/multimedia.htm#psa

 

[tommywinning]

Billy,

You might try getting in contact with some of the faculty at OU, or even some of the graduate students that have taught severe and unusual weather. You could get to them through the OU website and doing a people search. Dr. Droegemeier and Kloesel come to mind as a couple of folks who might have something you are looking for. Just a thought.

 

[Greg Blumberg]

Dr. Kloesel is a great resource. I had him for my last METR class and would love to work with him in the outreach and educational meteorology world. He is absolutely one of the best.

I have a PowerPoint presentation from a storm chasing presentation I did for several 8th grade science classes. I did some things about asking them why they thought the rain looked sideways in the pictures (I had previously mentioned that the storm was rotating), analogies as to the function of the RFD (spinning around then pulling your arms or spinning on a office chair and having someone run by and spin you faster.) I also taught a bit of ingredient-based forecasting. Would you like that to look at?

My first step if I'm going to be doing any presentation for a school is to figure out some background knowledge of what the students have learned beforehand. That way I can connect something that I have with something the teacher has done. It's a way of killing two birds with one stone and reinforces the two topics. If the 4th grade students had done some pattern recognition, I'd include a little bit of radar interpretation. My big thing is connecting weather to other things (all too often students think that weather is just finding out what to wear in the morning), that way students learn to form connections between subjects.

And not just the tornado safety position, you can teach the lightning safety position too. They also might not know how to figure out how far the lightning strike was using the thunder and counting. Right there you've added math and weather to your lesson (pun totally intended.)

 

[Paul Austin]

I would contact Shawna or John Davies. Shawna has made severe weather preparedness and response almost a mission of hers. She regularly speaks at schools and has prepared materials. She spoke at the NSCC this year, and her presentation was awesome. I'm sure she has a lot of useful material. She and John also wrote a storm chasing educational book for children. Both are members here, so you could PM them.