Why Do Tornadoes Happen? There’s a Book for That
Posted on May 1, 2011 by Suzan Woodard in Reading Lists, Uncategorized.
Tags: Current Events, Natural disasters, Questions Children Ask, Tornadoes, Weather, Why do tornadoes happen?
Big Universe's "Tornadoes" picture book will help answer kids' questions about these powerful storms. (NOAA photo)
Children’s minds are a wonderful realm – a place where the road is paved with Who’s and How’s and Why’s, leading all the way to the kingdom of knowledge.
With questions, children seek to answer the great mysteries of life and slay the dragons that threaten. They try to make sense of their environment and gain some independence.
Last week, the questions might have been “Who invented Brussels sprouts?” or “How do ocean tides move in and out?” This week, I suspect thousands of children are asking, “Why do tornadoes happen?”
In light of current events, the tornado question might be a very hard one to answer. Sometimes books can help. There are many kid-focused websites that put this weather phenomenon into terms they can grasp. One way or another, these questions need to be answered. Take the time to work this one out.
BigUniverse.com offers several weather books, and I’ve tracked down a few websites with lesson plans about tornadoes.
10 Places to Find Out About Tornadoes
- “Tornadoes” (book) (Reading Level Q. Interest Age: 3-12)
- “Investigating Storms” (book), pages 14-17, (Reading Level R. Interest Age: 9-12)
- “Rourke’s World of Science Encyclopedia, Volume 4: Earth Science” (book), page 45, (Interest Age: Grades 3-8)
- “Our Powerful Planet: The Curious Kid’s Guide to Tornadoes, Earthquakes and Other Phenomena” (book), pages 16-17, (Interest Age: Grades 2 and up.)
- WeatherWhizKids (website)
- KidStorm SkyDiary (website)
- TornadoWordTwister quiz (website)
- Create a Tornado experiment (website)
- National Geographic: Eye in the Sky—Tornadoes (website)
- FEMA Tornadoes: A Kid’s Guide (website)
To learn more about using current events as an educational resource in the classroom, read these Big Universe Blogs by Suzan Woodard.
“10 Ways to Use Current Events in the Classroom”
“Add Life to Your Teaching with Current Events”
“Dealing with Death Through Books”
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Cue the Weather Books”
“Mark Civil Rights Anniversary with Rosa Parks Bio”
