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JUST FOR KIDS 30 THE BANNER | May 2011 | www.thebanner.org ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT HOLLADAY Weird Weather Questions Why does it smell funny after a rainstorm? It’s not your imagination. After a rainstorm, the air some- times does smell funny. Sometimes it’s from the acid in rainwater. When it falls on the ground, it reacts with chemicals like gasoline or minerals in the soil, making that funny, fishy, after-the storm smell. What place on earth gets the most lightning? If you want to see lightning all year long, go to Africa and visit the village of Kifuka in the Democratic Repub- lic of the Congo. There, each square kilometer gets about 158 lightning strikes each year. That’s more than any other place on earth! (If lightning scares you, you should live in Antarctica, which almost never has lightning.) Why do worms come out after a storm? Worms can live underwater for quite a while, so they don’t come out because they’re afraid of drowning. They come out to find a mate, and they also come out because when the ground is wet they can travel easily over the land without drying up in the sun. Stormy Weather Have you ever been caught outside in a thunder- storm? Were you afraid you’d get struck by light- ning or hit by a falling tree? Spring and summer storms sometimes make us feel afraid because they’re so powerful. But storms are amazing too—and the more you know, the more amazed you’ll be! Make Your Own Barometer A barometer is an instrument that helps predict the weather by measuring changes in air pressure. What you need: A glass jar A balloon A rubber band A straw Masking tape Paper and pencil I LLU S TRATIO N B Y S C OTT H OLLADA Y A A What you do: Blow up the balloon to stretch it, then let the air out. Cut the balloon in half. Stretch the top half of the balloon tightly over the top of the jar and fasten it with the rubber band (ask an adult to help you with this part). Tape one end of the straw to the balloon covering the jar. The end of the straw should be about ¼ of the way from the jar edge, and the tape should be about 1 inch (3 cm) from the end of the straw. Tape a piece of paper to the wall behind the jar. Make a pencil mark to show the position of the straw. Label that mark with today’s date and today’s weather. Every day, check the position of the straw and make a mark. When the air pressure is high (sunny weather), it pushes down on the balloon and makes the straw go up. When the air pressure is low (rainy weather), the straw will be lower too. Try it and see if you notice a pattern. B ou B ut storms are am am m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m maz az az az az az az a az az az a z az az az az z az az az az z z az az in n in in n in i in in i in n in i n in in n n i in i n n g g g g g g g ou know, the more amazed e ed ed ed d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d ed d d d d d B
