I had the exciting opportunity to talk about severe weather and safety with a class of young scientists! These elementary-age students were very eager to hear all about hail, floods, winter weather, but especially tornadoes, thunderstorms, tsunamis, and hurricanes. I absolutely loved seeing how tuned in the kids were to the weather facts and safety tips. At the end, we did three meteorology-related experiments that really helped make everyone excited and involved. I have some great photos of many of the kids trying out the experiments for themselves after the demos! (I’ll link my next post to this one so I can share the experiments in detail)
I really enjoyed sharing what I’ve learned on a topic I’m not only passionate about, but that we all realize is important to understand so we can best prepare our families for severe weather events. What a wonderful day spent with bright, inquisitive children full of pure energy!!
Input from the Kids:
When the power goes out, what do you do if you have to go to the bathroom?
My three cousins saw a tornado before.
Can hail kill you?
Why does warm air rise above cold air?
Why is it not safe to play in flood water? How can it make you sick?
You can fill up a bathtub with water before the power goes out.
Can I take home the tornado pop bottle you brought so I can make a plastic penguin?
Where do you go if there’s a tornado?
Are we gonna make a rainbow?
No wait.. we’re gonna make thunder!
How do hurricanes form, and how do they get stronger?
We’re making electricity like lightning!
Can I take home a balloon?
So if there’s a flood, you do the opposite of what you’d do with a tornado. You go to high ground instead of low ground!
Will you pleeease come to my birthday party?
Truly,
Tash
Dr. Tashiana Osborne 
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