Believe it or not we are still learning about weather! It's really easy to get wrapped up in it when it is so facsinating and there are so many different elements involved. We finished up our basic weather and are moving into the science of tornadoes! Living in southern California, tornadoes happen but not on a huge scale. Living in the desert however, we do experience our fair share of "Dust/Dirt Devils," which although a bit different, look like tornadoes and can be quite large at times.
Activities
The NOAA has a list of activities to download. I will be using "Tornado Over Kansas" (best for middle and high-schoolers) for Sonshine. There are also "Billy and Maria Learn About Tornadoes" books to download for elementary age students. They are short coloring/story books teaching about tornadoes and tornado safety.
Homeschool Share has a few lapbooks: Magic School Bus Twister Trouble, Tornadoes, and a
Tornado Facts worksheet to read.
How Tornadoes Form worksheet from Education.com
Writing Prompt from Education.com
Videos
TED-ED "How Do Tornadoes Form?"
National Geographic "The Birth of a Tornado"
Bill Nye the Science Guy "Storms"
I also found tons of tornado footage on YouTube, be forewarned though that these are very intense and may contain language that isn't suitable for kids also the screaming in some of the videos is also pretty terrifying.
YouTube - Inside a building during a large tornado (no sound, surveillance camera) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEH4Tj-eQa0
See a tornado form directly over a man's house https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1JCMP8rxwY
Some incredible footage of tractor trailers flying through the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WABqwKjQM_c
Hands-On
Make a Tornado in a Bottle
Activities
The NOAA has a list of activities to download. I will be using "Tornado Over Kansas" (best for middle and high-schoolers) for Sonshine. There are also "Billy and Maria Learn About Tornadoes" books to download for elementary age students. They are short coloring/story books teaching about tornadoes and tornado safety.
Homeschool Share has a few lapbooks: Magic School Bus Twister Trouble, Tornadoes, and a
Tornado Facts worksheet to read.
How Tornadoes Form worksheet from Education.com
Writing Prompt from Education.com
Videos
TED-ED "How Do Tornadoes Form?"
National Geographic "The Birth of a Tornado"
Bill Nye the Science Guy "Storms"
I also found tons of tornado footage on YouTube, be forewarned though that these are very intense and may contain language that isn't suitable for kids also the screaming in some of the videos is also pretty terrifying.
YouTube - Inside a building during a large tornado (no sound, surveillance camera) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEH4Tj-eQa0
See a tornado form directly over a man's house https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1JCMP8rxwY
Some incredible footage of tractor trailers flying through the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WABqwKjQM_c
Hands-On
Make a Tornado in a Bottle