Published: April 10, 2009 08:33 am      

Sparking interest in weather

Students get hands-on experience with meteorologist

WORTHINGTON — Students in the after-school program at Worthington Elementary got a hands-on lesson in weather and meteorology on Thursday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Franklin, 39, from the service’s Charleston office, spent about an hour with the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in the 21st Century Learning Program discussing weather and how it affects the students’ lives.

Franklin was invited to mark World Meteorology Day, said school coordinator Krista Antis. She said, although the students have already studied weather as part of the fourth grade curriculum, Franklin was invited to give the children a “little more of a fun way” to learn about the science and its “cool instruments.”

The enthusiastic students were all too eager to show off their existing knowledge with Francis.

They shouted out answers to his questions including complex subjects such as atmospheric pressure. Some even recognized and could explain what an anemometer does — tt measure wind speed and strength.

“I thought it was amazing how it would show you the speed of the wind,” said William Maynard, 10, a fourth-grader.

The biggest hit of the day though was a weather balloon, something the students hadn’t learned about.

“What’s it made of?” one student shouted. “Do you fill it up with helium?” asked another. “How do you get it down?” wondered a third. “It feels like rubber!” exclaimed a fourth, as the giant balloon was unfurled.

Francis explained the balloons are made of rubber and filled with helium. They are sent up twice a day by the weather service to gather all sorts of data including upper atmospheric temperature and humidity.

They come down when “they burst,” he said. “Every once in a while some one thinks its a UFO.”

This got tons of giggles.

When the short presentation was over the students were still buzzing about the experience.

“I already knew a whole bunch,” said Andrew Howell, 9, afterward “but I thought that one hemisphere thing was pretty cool.”

The experience was “cool” for Francis too.

“The questions they ask are phenomenal,” he said, “They were so fascinated and it was great to see the enthusiasm — the yearning for that knowledge.”

The weather service, Francis said, does try to get into the schools as much as possible to encourage that enthusiasm for science and to “try to solidify the foundation of their knowledge.”

“If you can spark an interest now, you know they are going to carry into their junior high or high school years and hopefully this will do that,” he said.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.