Natural Disasters!: With 25 Science Projects for Kids
By Johannah Haney and Tom Casteel
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About this ebook
Discover the power of the weather in this full-color introduction to natural disasters for kids ages 7 to 10 that explores the science behind earthquakes, volcanoes, storms, wildfires, and tornadoes with STEM projects and real-world connections!
Have you ever felt the ground beneath your feet move in an earthquake? Have you ever had to ride out a blizzard at home? Natural Disasters! With 25 Science Projects for Kids guides kids ages 7 to 10 through a scientific introduction to the forces behind extreme meteorological events. Earthquakes, volcanoes, storms, wildfires, and more affect people around the world and appear in the news almost daily. Plus, climate change adds more fuel to storms, affects water supply, and makes conditions ripe for wildfires and rising water levels. Learn the science behind why!
• Through interactive STEM and STEAM projects that simulate natural disasters and the science behind them, such as modeling plate tectonics, diagramming atmospheric conditions, and science journaling, students learn about the mechanics of these disasters, how to prepare for them, and how to be of service to others experiencing them.
• A focus on conservation will empower students to do their part to help curb climate change and mitigate the effects of natural disasters.
• Readers learn about different kinds of extreme weather including Hurricane Katrina, flooding in Texas, California wildfires, and the tornadoes that struck southern United States in 2011.
About the Explore Earth Science set and Nomad Press
Natural Disasters! With 25 Science Projects for Kids is part of a set of four Explore Earth Science books that explore the earth, the atmosphere, and everything in between. The other titles in this series are Weather and Climate! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, The Water Cycle! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, and Rocks and Minerals! With 25 Science Projects for Kids.
Nomad Press books in the Explore Your World series integrate content with participation, encouraging readers to engage in student-directed learning. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad’s unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.
All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.
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Natural Disasters! - Johannah Haney
Titles in the Explore Earth Science Set
Check out more titles at www.nomadpress.net
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Printed in the United States.
CONTENTS
Glossary*Metric Conversions
Resources*Essential Questions*Index
Interested in primary sources? Look for this icon. Use a smartphone or tablet app to scan the QR code and explore more! Photos are also primary sources because a photograph takes a picture at the moment something happens.
TYPES OF DISASTERS
BLIZZARDS
The first blizzard to be declared a federal emergency was in upstate New York and southern Ohio in 1977.
VOLCANOES
There are around 1,300 active volcanoes in the world today, but only 20 or 30 erupt each year.
WILDFIRES
The United States spends billions of dollars every year fighting wildfires.
HURRICANES
Hurricanes create violent winds, heavy rain, high waves, widespread flooding, and even tornadoes.
TORNADOES
The United States has an average of 1,200 tornadoes every year, more than any other country.
TSUNAMIS
Tsunamis can travel across entire oceans and lose little energy as they move.
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS A NATURAL DISASTER?
Imagine you live in the midwestern United States and the sky takes on a strange greenish color in the middle of a summer day. Suddenly, a tornado warning is issued and everyone scrambles for cover in basements and bathrooms.
Tornadoes are a fact of life in many parts of the United States each year. Or maybe you live on the East Coast of the United States and you hear news that a hurricane is bearing down on your area in the next couple days.
WORDS TO KNOW
tornado: a swirling vortex of wind in a funnel shape that extends toward the earth from a large storm system.
hurricane: a powerful storm with winds of at least 74 miles per hour.
Or maybe you live on the West Coast of the United States, where an earthquake could shake the ground at any moment.
Natural disasters are events that occur in nature that cause widespread destruction of lives and property. These natural events have incredible power, and can be pretty awe-inspiring to think about or watch. During natural disasters, people are hurt or even killed, homes and farms destroyed, and livestock lost.
WORDS TO KNOW
earthquake: the sudden movement of pieces of the outer layer of the earth.
natural disaster: a natural event that can cause tremendous destruction to life and property.
livestock: animals raised for food and other uses.
Natural disasters can happen anywhere, but certain areas are more likely to be the sites of specific natural disasters.
THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT PINATUBO IN THE PHILIPPINES, 1991
CREDIT: DAVE HARLOW, USGS
For example, California is at risk for large earthquakes. While small earthquakes can happen all around the United States, usually only sensitive instruments can detect them. Most cause no problems for people. But California has had many large earthquakes that brought human activity to a halt.
Another example is volcanoes—a volcano will almost certainly not erupt in the flat state of Ohio, at least not in your lifetime or during the lifetimes of your kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids! But if you live in Hawaii, that is a different story.
WORDS TO KNOW
volcano: a mountain formed by magma or ash forcing its way from deep inside the earth to the surface.
tectonic plates: large sections of the earth’s crust that move on top of the hot, melted layer below.
eruption: a violent explosion of gas, steam, magma, or ash.
magma: molten rock within the layer of earth just below the earth’s crust.
lava: magma that has risen to the surface of the earth.
TYPES OF DISASTERS
Not all areas of the world experience the same kinds of natural disasters. Earthquakes, which are a sudden, strong shaking of the ground, occur in areas where tectonic plates shift. Volcanic eruptions occur when molten magma comes to