Climate Change: Maine 4-H STEM Toolkit of the Month
Each month we will be highlighting a different 4-H STEM Toolkit available from UMaine Cooperative Extension 4-H Program!
In this series of activities, youth will explore the impact of weather and climate on humans, animals and plants and begin to understand what causes wind, snowfall, storms and other weather events. Youth will create construction paper snowstorms, indoor thunderstorms, learn how a tree stump can reveal the climate of a region and create an instrument to measure wind speed. By recreating these natural events, children experiment with the various factors that affect weather and climate – humidity, air pressure, temperature and elevation. They will also learn how weather forecasters use tools like contour maps to predict snowfall and temperature and discuss how animals and plants adapt to changing weather conditions. These hands-on activities allow kids to predict what will happen, test theories, then share their results. By gaining an understanding of the basic forces affecting climate, some of the mysteries of storms and wind are revealed and youth can see the impact of human activity on climate and environment. They’ll be introduced to climate vocabulary, gain an understanding of the importance of species diversity and learn how to be good environmental stewards. Learn more about the Climate Change Toolkit!
Learn more about this, and other 4-H STEM Toolkits online, where you can see what is available for different age groups or topic areas.