climate change for kids in simple way

8/10/2019 Climate Change for Kids in simple way

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Climate Change for Kids

(and their teachers)

Bruce LarsonEnrichment CoordinatorStratham Memorial SchoolStratham, New Hampshire


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Climate is what we expect,weather is what we get.

Attributed to Samuel Clemens


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This is New Hampshire, not Kansassummer, 2008


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Newmarket, NH - May, 2006


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QuickTime and aBMP decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


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are needed to s ee this picture.

Blizzard of 1978 (Boston)Was this

weather or climate ?

Ice storm of 2008


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Activity:

Interview the person next to you aboutextreme weather events they have

experienced. Have they noticed anychanges in their local climate duringtheir lifetime?

Time: 6+ minutes


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In February 2007, an international panel of experts(the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change)concluded:

-Global warming is occurring.-Increase in global temperature is a result of human

activities.-Given current trends, temperature extremes, heat waves,

and heavy rains will continue to escalate in frequency.- The Earths temperature and seas will continue to rise

into the next millennium.


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As adults, we begin to wonder what is going on

Our students are experiencing extreme weatherat an age where they will begin to believe that

is the normal state of the climate.

It isnt!


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Teachers have a responsibilityto teach our students how to observeevents with perspective and exposethem to the tools they will need tounderstand those events. Commonterminology, age appropriate activitiesand a progression of insightfulexperiences will prepare our chargesto make hard decisions as adults.


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Activity:

Word Loop. Find the person whohas the card which answers yourquestion. Someone will be looking for your word!

Time: 6+ minutes


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Global Warming or

Climate Change?

Defining terms:


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In the past we used the term Global Warming todraw attention to some of the possible consequences

of increased temperature, such as sea level riseand glacial ice melt. Record snowfall in some areascoupled with cold rain and floods made intuitivenonsense of the term.

Climate Change allows for explanations andunderstandings of complex interactions whichsometimes yield contradictory events. A greaterunderstanding of how Earth systems interact in adynamic way is required to make some sense outof observed weather and climate data.


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Weather is what we experience on a day to

day basis and what guides our daily outfitand plans for local travel and recreation


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K-Grade 1: Observing how hot or cold it is outside.Observing and naming precipitation.Discussing clothing choices.Looking at thermometers and what they

are used for


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are used for

Grades 2-3: Recording precipitation type, cloud cover,

hours of daylight and sunrise/sunset, andtemperature.


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are used for

Grades 2-3: Recording precipitation type, cloud cover,

hours of daylight and sunrise/sunset, andtemperature.

Grades 4-5: Observing and recording cloud types,

temperature, wind speed, and relativehumidity.Introduction to barometric pressure andlayers of the atmosphere.Introduction to composition of air.


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Climate is the average of daily weatherparameters over many years and characterizes

seasons as well as geography.


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K-1: Observe seasons through weather eventsand natural history changes.

Awareness of diurnal cycle


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Gr. 2-3: Observe and study animal adaptations toseasonal change and local climateIntroduce Earth-Moon-Sun relationship

Track hours of daylight vs. seasonsObserve and study animal migrations(Journey North)


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Gr. 2-3: Observe and study animal adaptations toseasonal change and local climateIntroduce Earth-Moon-Sun relationship

Track hours of daylight vs. seasonsObserve and study animal migrations(Journey North)

Gr. 4-5: Introduce local climate data/graphingIntroduce graphs of CO2 over timeIntroduce ice core projects/graphsIntroduce orbital variations in Earth-Sun rel.Discuss human role in climate change

Climate change and other cultures


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Connecting students to the world mustbecome a priority. Without a sense of

global ownership, the innovation,sacrifice,and sharing of the burden forchange cannot occur.


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http://www.climatechoices.org.uk/pages/aboutpage.htm

http://www.practicalaction.org.uk/?id=whoweare

Practical Action is a UK based serviceorganization which has an excellentWebsite (Climate Choices) for grades 3- 5


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are needed to see this picture.

From the Climate Change page of the Practical Action website.


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QuickTime and a

BMP decompressor are needed to s ee this picture.

From the Climate Change page of the Practical Action website.


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Activity:

Comparing Weather in Different Parts

of the World

Take a few minutes to look over the graphin your packet and discuss some of thestudent questions with a neighbor.


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Global Rainfall Comparisons

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

J a n u

a r y

F e b r

u a r y

M a r c h A p

r i l M a

y J u

n e J u l y

J u l y

A u g u

s t

S e p t e

m b e r

O c t o b

e r

N o v e

m b e r

D e c e

m b e r

Month

London

ChittagongNew Orleans


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Climate Change Benchmarks for Elementary Students: (In your packet )

Plotting hours of daylight (primary students) http://www.sunrisesunset.com/

Monarch migration dates http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Robin Migration dates http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

Tulip/Crocus emergence dates and growth rates http://www.learner.org/jnorth/

'Ice out' dates for local lakes and streams some have years of records to graphhttp://me.water.usgs.gov/iceout.html

Bud break for different tree species annual records from cooperative extension Insect borne diseases like Lymes, Equine Encephalitis, and West Nile are moving

north due to warmer temperatures increasing the ranges of their hosts

Warmer weather tree parasites are driving species such as the sugar maple northward(ex. Massachusetts)

The paper birch range is shifting north as it is not well suited to the longer periodsof warmer weather.

Marine mammal beachings water temperature link?

'Red tide' algal blooms water temperature link?

Tracking and discussing extreme weather events


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Weather adds up to climate over time and

climate informs weather predictions - theyare connected through time and dependenton place.In order to understand climate change, students must have an understanding ofboth weather and climate.

More resources at www.lmnts.org
http://www.lmnts.org/http://www.lmnts.org/


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are neede d to see this picture.


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The term Greenhouse effect has been

inaccurately used to describe how infraredabsorbing gases acted as a blanket to trapheat on a global scale. A real greenhousesimply keeps warmed air from blowing awayfrom the darker, sun warmed surfaces

whereyou want to grow plants.

climate change for kids in simple way

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