daily activities
Wild Weather
Great Balls of Fire...and Ice
Balls of fire and ice rocketing across the sky might sound like something out of Harry Potter, but in fact, instances of flying fire and ice have been recorded as far back as the Middle Ages. (Weird, right?) Weirder still, witnesses have claimed that they can vary in color from red to blue. Today, we'll decide whether these balls are really fire and ice, or if there is another scientific explanation for what we're seeing.
what you’ll need
- Your Camp Kinda toolkit
- A wool sweater or carpet
- A balloon
- A plastic straw
- An empty soda can
FOR PARENTS
Ask About Today
Hail was once believed to be frozen raindrops. But how is it actually formed?
Dinner Discussion
Throughout history, there have been many mythical stories about what causes thunder. If you had to calm a child who was scared of thunder, what's the best explanation you could come up with?
Skip the Ads
Unfortunately, online videos often start with short advertisements. Remind your campers to click the "Skip" button as soon as they can to move ahead to the video.
Weekly Materials
This week's materials list includes a few items that are a little more unusual—like styrofoam plates, baby oil, and food coloring. If you can find them, we think they make for some really cool experiments. If you can't, no worries, just skip ahead.
explore
30-45 minutes
Dive into some of the weirder weather you'll ever hear about.
01
Lightning...Ball?
A single bolt of lightning is around 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. That’s...really hot. But when lightning transforms into a ball and starts to follow you...yikes! Definitely time to run. Learn more about ball lightning in this video and how it may hold the key to a new source of energy for our planet.
Remember: Online videos often start with advertisements. (Annoying, we agree!) Click the "Skip" button as soon as you can to move ahead to the video.
02
All Hail... Hail
Hail is much more common than lightning balls, but when it does fall, you might feel like you're on the wrong side of a dodgeball match with the sky.
Mild Language
03
04
The Colors of Weather
You heard of blood rain earlier in the week, but today, we'll learn more about it, along with black rain, black blizzards, and more colorful weather events. Understanding how color shows up in our atmosphere will help you understand how those same colors can turn into extraordinary weather.
05
The Legend of Lightning
Many ancient cultures explained the mysterious and powerful forces of thunder and lightning through myth—stories of gods battling and other tales. In Cambodia, "Moni Mekhala Ream Eyso" is a sacred dance that explains the origins of lightning, thunder and rain according to the Khmer people. Watch this animated TED-Ed video to learn the legend.
Mild Violence
06
07
create
30-60 minutes
Ever heard the phrase "lightning in a bottle"? Today we're creating lightning in your hand. (Kinda.)
01
Explore Static Electricity
About 1 in 12,000 people is likely to be struck by lightning. But don’t worry: the vast majority of them survive. While getting "shocked" by static electricity is far from what it would feel like to be struck by lightning, it does come pretty close to what it might look like. We’re going to try the first two experiments here to help you understand what static electricity is. But don’t worry, you can try the others on your own.
move
30 minutes
It's weather dance time again!
01
Feel the Thunder
Earlier in this adventure, you created you own rain dance. Now, it's time for a thunder dance. Check out this one from Chakaboom Fitness and try to follow along.
02
Choreograph Your Own
Want to go the extra mile? Create your own choreography to Imagine Dragon's song "Thunder."