All About Climate & Seasons

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Children are naturally intrigued with the "whys" of the physical world, and All About Climate and Seasons, one of four titles in the Weather for Children series, provides many "becauses" in an easy-to-understand manner. Combining live-action footage and computer graphics, the program looks at weather and climate, along the way exploring climate zones, seasons, and how land features contribute to weather. Vocabulary words are shown onscreen, so students can learn to recognize them (even if it may be a while before they can actually spell them). My only quibble is that when the meteorologist uses an orrery (a model of the solar system) to discuss how the tilted Earth produces the seasons, the computer generated graphics aren't animated, which is unfortunate since their inclusion would have illustrated the other key component (the Earth's orbit around the sun) more effectively than the small model found in many classrooms. But this is a minor flaw, and the tape is still definitely recommended. The other titles in the series are: All About Meteorology, All About Wind & Clouds and All About Rain, Snow, Sleet & Hail.

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K-Gr 4-Children of various ages and ethnicities are central to this informative yet entertaining guide to weather concepts and forecasting. Viewers' attention is caught immediately when simple questions are asked by an off-camera narrator and the children answer them. Many typical childhood activities are seen-kite-flying, playing outside, and hiking. Live action combines with diagrams and still satellite photos to teach viewers basic weather terms and concepts. Investigations and hands-on experiments demonstrate these concepts in an understandable and memorable way. Among the topics covered are the formation of clouds, how wind is created, how rain and snow forms, and the factors that affect the climate for different regions. One tape includes a visit with Dr. Jon Nese, the chief meteorologist at The Franklin Institute Science Museum, where he discusses topics such as rainfall measurement as a factor in forecasting and measuring wind speed. Pleasant background music adds to the overall positive ambiance of the series. These titles are an entertaining and effective method to introduce young children to basic meteorology and weather science.

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal. Used with permission.

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