Grades 3-5 Science Activities

Before: Watch the news with your parents and answer the following questions: What is a hurricane? What causes the storms to develop? 

PARENTS: Hurricane is, in fact, just one name for the kind of storm scientists refer to as a strong tropical cyclone. When the same kind of storm occurs in the western North Pacific Ocean, it's called a typhoon. Tropical cyclones develop when thunderstorms form over ocean water that has reached a temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The conditions required for tropical cyclones, or hurricanes, to develop occur most often in late summer and early fall. Hurricanes are huge. They can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to 200 mph. Each hurricane usually lasts for over a week, moving 10-20 miles per hour over the open ocean.
During: The wind speed of a hurricane often becomes stronger as the storm moves over the warm water and closer to land. Listen to television news or radio reports about the strength of the hurricane. Create a chart that records the wind speed of the hurricane every few hours from the time it approaches South Florida until the storm has passed. Each time you record the wind speed, also record your observations about the sounds you hear outside. Does the wind become louder as it becomes stronger? What else do you hear as the storm approaches?.
After: Following the storm, determine how many people on your block lost electrical power. Create a graph that shows how many people lost power on your block. Also graph the number of people on your block who use generators.