Hurricanes for Kids

Now that those of us who live along the Atlantic coast in North America came through Hurricane Bill relatively unscathed, maybe it's time to educate the kids about hurricanes.

Hurricanes are severe tropical storms (with winds of at least 74 miles per hour). They form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean, gathering heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters.

Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye." When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars.

These heavy waves (called storm surges) are very dangerous and a major reason why you MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane warning or hurricane. In Hurricane Bill (late August 2009), some people were swept away from a "safe" rock barrier wall, from which they had been watching the massive waves.

Kids can help parents prepare the house for a tropical storm or hurricane - by putting all toys and lawn furniture away; and making sure their pets are inside the home with the family. Children can be quite fearful if they've heard dire warnings on the news, so a special Hurricane Flashlight might provide a good sense of security in case of power outage.

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Back to School Family Calendar

It's nearly that time again! September is just a few weeks away, and many of us need to think about school shopping lists as well as enrolling the kids in after-school activities and lessons.

You can make your own school calendar, choosing from some of these calendar templates, or print off this PDF Back to School Family Calendar from eversave.com.

I also like the myriad of resources at FamilyEducation.com (note that you must provide your email address in order to obtain free registration at the site). Their Fun Facts Calendar is fabulous to have on hand: September 1st is when the Titantic wreckage was located "way back" in 1985; Elephant Appreciation Day is on the 22nd; and you can fill in my birthday on October 19th! :-)



About the photo: this is an Aztec calendar in stone, which I obtained from www.sxc.hu. The photographer's site is at http://garrisonphoto.org/sxc/

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