Wandering Wind from i love dirt!

by melynda

Here is an activity from i love dirt! by Jennifer Ward.

Livingston, Montana--where I live--must be one of the windiest places around. Every winter several semis blow over on the highway (one landed on top of a police car last winter). There is usually a day or two or three where the kindergarten kids aren't allowed out for recess because they blow over and get skinned up.

This activity is close to my heart because wind is so much a part of our lives here. In a sense it defines who we are--you have to be a little tough to get through a winter here without going nuts.

Follow up:

Wandering Wind
There are many different types of wind to play with. Stand outside and determine what type is present:

• A calm wind—Everything around you is still.
• A slight breeze—There is a faint rustling of plants or leaves.
• A strong breeze—Large branches and treetops sway.
• A gale-force wind—It’s difficult to walk against the wind, and tree branches start snapping off. (Get back inside! The wind is too wild to play with today.)

While outdoors, watch the wind in action. In which direction do you see the leaves blowing, grasses swaying, or bodies of water rippling?

Gale warning flags

Play a game with your child, and imagine where the wind is coming from, what it has passed over, traveled across and through. Take turns imaging the faces and places the wild wind has touched.