Hold On to Your Hats!

Let's think of a few things we might find outside. For example.... a leaf, a branch, a tree, a street light, an outdoor chair, a fence, a house, a car, and a newspaper.

Consider the forces of a breeze and a tornado and the effect that each has on the objects listed above. How will they compare? Write down your observations and thoughts in the chart. Think(don't hurt your brain) which force (breeze or a tornado) will cause movement?

Click the link to view a tornado video prepared by the NOAA.

Would a breeze knock you down? Or would it ruffle your hair?

Do you think the tornado could blow you away?

Write a short paragraph in your science journal about what you saw in the tornado clip. What are some differences you observed between a regular wind outside and the force of a tornado?

Do you live in a tornado zone? Do you live in a zone where high winds can affect you and your surroundings? How does the wind affect you? (Does it blow things over, do the trees bend, are there bare spots that are wind swept?) Draw a picture of the area you live in and what evidence you do or don't have of strong winds.

Draw a picture of before and after views of a tornado zone. (Neat and tidy to disarray and debris).

In the movie The Wizard Of Oz, Dorothy lived on a farm with her aunt and uncle. A cyclone hits and Dorothy is knocked out in the house. Where were her aunt and uncle? (In the cellar.) Why do people build cellars in areas of high winds? What is the purpose of structures such as these? (They are below ground and are not in the path of the wind.) What happened to the house that Dorothy and her aunt and uncle lived in? (It got caught up in the cyclone as did many animals.) How did Dorothy's house come through the cyclone? (It landed more or less in one piece.)

Try It!

Materials:

• Fan
• Popped popcorn
• Sink
• Plastic wrap

Procedure:

1. Scatter most of the popcorn around the outside of the sink.
2. Sprinkle the remaining popcorn inside the sink.
3. Set the fan up 12 inches away from the sink.
4. Turn the fan on medium speed and observe the popcorn.
5. Try this same experiment again, but this time turn the fan on high.
   • Observe how much force is coming from the fan and how it affects the popcorn outside the sink.

Dorothy's aunt and uncle didn't go to Oz because they were underground where the cyclone didn't affect them as it did Dorothy since she was above the ground.

In the movie Twister, there were stormchasers who followed the tornados in hopes if getting the best picture. What kind of danger did they put themselves in as they traveled from one storm to the next? Did you think they experienced any kind of house lifting? What can happen to a house if it gets caught in a tornado? (It can be blown apart, or severely damaged--the roof can come off, windows can break).

If a wind storm comes your way, what kind of things would you expect to see once it was over? What is the difference between a wind storm and a tornado? ( The strength of the wind.) In a windstorm, leaves can come off of the trees, branches may snap, and shingles can come off of a roof. In a tornado a tree can be stripped of leaves, uprooted, and the entire roof can be removed as well as the house being ripped from its foundation.

Think of the story The Three Little Pigs. The big bad wolf uses his hot air to blow down the little pigs' houses so he can gobble them up. Animals do not have that much wind power in their bodies. People don't either. Nature on the other hand does. Nature can blow down houses, knock over trees, plus do a lot moredamage. What would have happened to the pigs if they had a cellar in which to hide?

Extension: Write a new version of The Three Little Pigs with the pigs' houses having a cellar.