What Will the Weather Be?

So this passed weekend I went to visit my sister in Washington D.C., and on our rainy Saturday we went the the Newseum, or the Museum of News. So cool! Basically it was all about the history of news, journalism and photography and how the world of news works around the world. So on the way downstairs we stop at this little gift shop, and you'd think I would pick up a book about news writing or journalism, or even about Washington and the government, right? As always I get distracted, and I find this book Children's book called What Will the Weather Be, because alongside my other dorky passions for geography and dogs, I love learning about weather. I also have this little quirk of needing to know what the weather will be like every day and every week!

Anyways, in my little distraction I am reading and reading, and thinking wow this book is so gently informative with cute little cartoon like pictures but so graspable in concepts for kids...I had to buy it. Luckily it was on sale, but more recently I am in this habit of needing to buy a children's book from any place that I travel to. Okay onto the book, sorry...
Page by page the book talks about different tools we use to help predict the weather, and each page sort of tells a story about the different tools that are used to measure aspects of weather. The story starts with snow in D.C. and how weather can impact our every day lives, and then it walks into different kinds of weather that we have throughout the year, while explaining which devices fit where in terms of measuring aspects of weather. I thought of Syracuse, New York towards the end of the story when they discuss the purpose of a meteorologist, and how sometimes even with all the right tools we can still get the weather forecast wrong. :)

Lynda DeWitt ( a Bethesda native!) wrote the book, and Carolyn Croll illustrated this little non-fiction powerhouse,  and it could be very useful for any student learning about Meteorology and weather. Some kids love crazy thunderstorms and other kids are hiding under the blanket in their basements ( I am cuddled with my dog in bed as I am typing this as we are both not a huge fan of thunderstorms!), but which ever they may be I think there is a safety in knowing about different aspects in weather and what precautions to take in bad weather. This book could be used in a classroom with a KWL chart as a pre-activity as there are a lot of sort of loaded terms that need to be pieced together. As a post activity, students could break off into groups and each focus on one or two terms, create a picture or a diagram to explain the term, and present it to a class as a review and a reflection. I really enjoyed this book and the pictures really emulate what the text can't always get across alone. On to more blogs!