Our standard school visit begins with a chat with "Chester
Drawers," a 42-inch tall ventriloquist dummy. We get the kids
laughing with some general silliness...a few jokes, a quick story
(usually with a moral lesson included), and a song. Then we have
a discussion of what's on the weather map. We explain the H's and
L's and red and blue lines that everyone sees all the time in TV
weather reports, but which very few people understand. Following
this, Chester says goodbye.
Next, Dennis Bowman moves into his "Show and Tell" props.
The kids get to see what a National Weather Service Weather Balloon
really looks like, as well as a radiosonde (the box of instruments
that goes up on a balloon twice each day) and the bright orange
parachute that floats everything back to earth after the balloon
pops. It is explained how important it is to have this information
to feed into the super computers to create models of how the atmosphere
is behaving. Dennis shows the students a weather vane and explains
why it reveals the direction the wind blows from, not toward. He
teaches them how to make their own homemade barometers to track
pressure changes and weather changes.
Then comes a severe weather talk. It is emphasized that we must
know how to stay safe from severe storms, whether we are at home,
at school, or in an open setting. The severe weather talk culminates
with the creation of a simulated tornado, featuring "The Mean,
Mean Tornado Machine." Using a fan, hairdryer, boiling water
and dry ice, Dennis gets a 4-foot tall tornado spinning around in
front of the kids. The session ends with a brief time for questions
and answers. This is where the students can question Dennis about
anything--lightning, hurricanes, tsunamis, whatever.
For older students...Middle School and older...a discussion of the
Doppler Effect and its use in Doppler Radar is included.
And we do have a second presentation available, featuring flash
flood video, a lightning generator, and a discussion of winter weather
preparation.
Call Dennis for a price quote and information about scheduling.
1-866-5-STORMY (786769) or through
e-mail.
Also available for your school...A
Character Education Show! Dennis blends weather science with lessons
about bullying, respect, and good decision making. For more information
and to inquire about booking, contact The National Character Education
Foundation at 1-866-770-6233 or online at www.ncef.net.
