Twisting Tornadoes - Craft, Experiment, Journal Page and More

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We had tons of fun with the Poppins Book Nook blog series last year and we will be continuing that fun all throughout 2015. This month's theme was, "Weather" Keep reading to learn more about the book we read, the craft we made and to grab your FREE weather journal page. There is also a giveaway is at the end of the post! To check out all of our past Poppins Book Nook posts click here.

Books:
This months theme was weather and since we are about to hit tornado season here in Georgia the kids decided to read Twisters and Other Terrible Storms which is a Magic Tree House Research Guide. The book is filled with fun facts, photos, illustrations, definitions and more about twisters, hurricanes, blizzards and storm chasers. Some of the things we learned about were how tornadoes form, what kinds of tools help predict bad storms and the different cloud types.

Free Resources:
This past Saturday while visiting the Atlanta Science Expo we found a great resource at the CDC Booth that went along perfectly with our weather theme. And guess what you can download your very own copy of Ready Wrigley Prepares For Tornadoes for FREE. This activity booklet is filled with information and activities to help children learn more about tornadoes and how to prepare for a tornado.

Craft:
For our craft we made a tornado with homemade puffy paint.

Supplies:

• Cardstock
• Foam shaving cream
• Glue
• Black glitter
• Black paint
• Debris (leaves, twigs, flowers)
• Monopoly house
• Markers
• Paint brush

Instructions:

1. Mix equal parts of foam shaving cream and glue. Add a little bit of black paint and mix it into the shaving cream and glue mixture. For some added fun you can add some black glitter. Don't over mix the mixture, you want it to be foamy.
2. Use a paint brush to create a twister on the cardstock.
3. Add some debris and a monopoly house (or two) onto the twister. The materials should stick to the glue/shaving cream mixture without any issues...but if it doesn't you can glue the pieces onto the twister.
4. Draw a city or town at the bottom of the picture. 
5. Let it dry.

Experiment:

What better way to learn about twisters than to create one in a jar. We have done this experiment several times and always have tones of fun with it. 

Materials:

• Pint sized jar (small jars seemed to work better)
• Tsp of dish soap (NOT Dawn, Dial worked much better)
• Tsp of vinegar
• Food coloring

Instructions:

1. Fill a jar with warm water, add teaspoon of dish soap and a teaspoon of vinegar. You can also add some food coloring. 
2. Put the lid on very tightly and shake in a circular motion with the jar parallel to the floor for 5-10 seconds. Ta-dah! You have made a tornado in a jar...about an F1 or F2.
   

Have fun and experiment with different amounts of soap, water temperature and soap types to see what combination produces a better tornado. The above mentioned materials were what worked best for us. 

Why it works:

Inside the jar, the fluid on the outside starts spinning before the fluid at the center. When you set the jar down, you see the fluid on the outside slowing down as the fluid on the inside continues to spin. You are seeing the formation of a vortex.  

Free Weather Journal Page:
Here is the Weather journal page that we used for this months theme. Download your copy here or click the picture below.

Here is a list of the wonderful bloggers participating in the Poppins Book Nook be sure to visit them for more fun ideas:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - ABC Creative Learning - As We Walk Along the Road - Brain Power Boy - Chestnut Grove Academy - Embracing Destiny - Every Bed of Roses - Farm Fresh Adventures - Growing in God's Grace - Kathys Cluttered Mind - My Bright Firefly - Peakle Pie - Preschool Powol Packets - Pray Species - SAHM I am - Stir The Wonder - Sunny Day Family - Sweet Silly Sara - Teach Beside Me - To the Moon and Back - Tots and Me - Tree Valley Academy - Witty Hoots

Kid’s Meterologist Bundle Giveaway!
Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win the Kid’s Meteorologist In The Making Bundle. The winner will enjoy two fun weather themed learning items. The two items that they will win is the Weather Tracker and National Geographic’s Kid’s Everything Weather. These two wondrous weather items can bring your children a fun weather activity or two.

Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Momwho is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the PromoSimple terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here. 

Just enter the PromoSimple below to win:

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