Weatherman Ralphie mixes heat with air to create an updraft, and the Magic School Bus rides high into the sky! Your students can see a small updraft by making wind spirals.
Grades
1–2, 3–5
Can anyone do something about the weather? It's a hot, muggy day and a thunderstorm might help break the heat. Ralphie fantasizes being a superhero — Weatherman — who controls the weather. He gets to live out his daydream when the class rides the Magic School Bus into the clouds. As Weatherman, Ralphie makes wind, an updraft, clouds, and rain. Then a thunderstorm moves in and the Magic School Bus is caught in the middle of it! Can Weatherman save the day?
Weatherman (a.k.a. Ralphie) mixes heat with air to create an updraft, and the Magic School Bus rides high into the sky! Your kids can see a small updraft by making wind spirals.
What You Need
Talk About It
Ask children: Why does the warm air from the lamp affect the spiral the same way blowing from underneath it does?
What To Do
Next Stop
Next time it rains, your kids can make a rain gauge. Place a clear glass jar outside in an open space. Use a ruler to measure how much rain fell.
Build on students' interest in The Magic School Bus with science lesson plans and activities that encourage hands-on learning.
Experiment with online weather tools, meet weather experts, track storms, and learn about earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and more.
