Science Projects: How a Tornado Is Formed
Learning how tornadoes are formed can be a hands-on activity for any science class project. Tornadoes are naturally occurring disasters that can affect nearly any temperate zone, so understanding how they are formed can give children insight into nature's workings. There are several projects that students can do to explore how tornadoes are formed while learning more about these massively destructive forces.
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Diagram
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One of the easiest projects that children can do to explore how tornadoes are formed is a simple diagram. Have the students make a diagram out of some construction paper or cardboard that depicts how tornadoes are formed. Diagrams are good projects because they can be very ornate or very simple. So this can cater to the skills and motivation of all of the students in the class.
Soda Bottle Experiment
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This project does not depict exactly how tornadoes are formed, but it does give students an idea of the forces behind tornadoes. Have the students get two empty 2-liter soda bottles. Pour water into one of them until it is about three-fourths of the way full. Then take the other bottle and set its neck on the neck of the liquid-filled bottle. Use electrical tape and wrap the two together, making sure the electrical tape goes around the two necks at least 20 times to ensure no leakage. Once the two bottles are taped together, you can have the students turn the device over so the liquid bottle is on top. Have the students swirl the bottle a little to give it a start. This will result in the water from the top bottle draining into the bottom bottle and giving the bottles a tornado appearance.
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Pet Tornado
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This is a project similar the soda bottle experiment, but here the students are more clearly shown the force behind a tornado. Get a plain glass jar and fill it about three-fourths of the way full with water. Add 2 tsp. of dish soap and then drop a marble into the mixture. Attach the lid and turn the jar over, spinning it in quick, concentric circles. This will start a tornado with enough power to spin the marble around easily. This project shows how circulation is needed for the formation of a tornado as well as how much power a tornado can have.
Tornado Tracking
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Have your students look up recent tornadoes somewhere in the world. Have them research those tornadoes and formulate theories of how that tornado in particular was formed. For instance, if the tornado was in Kansas, one theory could be that the warm summer air of the Gulf of Mexico rose north to meet the cool air from Canada, which combined to form a tornado.
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References
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