SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – A new school year is here. Whether it’s recess, the buses, or sometimes, school itself, weather will have an impact.
But what do you do if your child wants to learn more about weather?
Who better to ask than a science teacher with a weather name? We went to Joe Blizzard, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) teacher at the Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, to find out.
Some tools he uses to create an interest in meteorology (the science of weather) for students include things like firenado demonstrations and showing how a “vortex cannon” works using changes in air pressure to create rings of smoke.
When students get home, they can learn more about these lessons on the nearest computer.
There are several sites aimed at science education for children of varying ages. Parents should go through first and see what would be of most interest to their child and what works for the student’s education level. Here are some great places to start:
- National Weather Service Outreach Activities and Materials
- National Severe Storms Lab Education Page
- American Meteorological Society Weather Education Resources
- NASA Education
Coming up with interactive exercises will also keep students involved.
“Keep them interested in it” Bizzard said. “You can get a weather station that you can keep track of at home. Or just little things…you can look up homemade weather station things like a little rain gauge and keep track of how much rain over time and get those trends. The kids can learn that as they grow up as they keep track of these things and really become more involved and interested in it.”
It’s that interest that can help a student perform in school, and school is a great resource for a student to learn more.
“Math and science…you’re collecting data, you’re looking at trends over time, all of that is part of math. And then how the world works…there’s your science,” Blizzard said.
