Eric Braun - Curious Pearl Dives Into Weather: 4D an Augmented Reading Science Experience

Curious Pearl here! Do you like science?

I sure do! I have all sorts of fun tools to help me observe and investigate, but my favorite tool is my science notebook. Thats where I write down questions and facts that help me learn more about science. Would you like to join me on my science adventures?

Youre in for a special surprise!

Aaaaaah, feel the sun on your skin and the sand in your toes. Theres no better place than the beach to read a science book.

Come on, Pearl, said my friend Sabina. Lets get in the water!

Can I finish this chapter first? I asked. Im reading about weather.

The weather is awesome right now! Sabina said. Why read about it when we can enjoy it?

Im not reading about todays weather, I said. Im reading about everything that makes up weather.

What makes up weather? asked Sabina. Weather is weather.

I showed Sabina a page in my book. Weather is made up of a combination of things: . Wherever you are, those elements are all present in some form. They work together and give us different weather conditions.

Well, they must be working together well today, Sabina said. This weather is perfect!

They are for now! I said. But the elements can change, which will cause the weather to change. Sometimes very quickly.

As we waded into the lake, the sun reflected off the water into our eyes.

Wow, its bright, Sabina said.

Thats because there arent any sunlight we see. If there are lots of clouds, its not so bright.

Actually, I see a few clouds, Sabina said. She pointed to the horizon.

Eureka! Thats a cirrus cloud! I said.

Whats a serious cloud? Sabina asked.

Not serious. Cirrus is a type of cloud. There are four main kinds of clouds.

I pulled my notebook out of my bag to show her the four types of clouds. What? Dont you keep a notebook with you at all times?

Cirrus: wispy and high, could mean a change in weather

Cumulus: fluffy, white clouds, usually seen on a nice day

Stratus: low, dark layer of cloud that can cover most of the sky (not very sunny!)

Nimbus: dark gray cloud usually holding rain

Wind is part of weather, I said. It can be still, breezy, or windy. Or really windy.

Like that time when my homework got caught in the wind, Sabina said. Remember?

We had to chase it for two whole blocks, I giggled.

I wonder why some days its windy, and others its not, Sabina said.

Lets look it up! I said. We ran back to look in my weather book.

Cool air makes high air pressure, and warm air makes low air pressure. Warm air rises, and cold air falls. When the two meet, the differences in pressure make wind!

This is my favorite weather, Sabina said. Hot!

Temperature is another part of weather, I told her. Temperature is the measure of how cold or hot it is. Its expressed as a number of degrees. I turned the pages in my weather book to the part about temperature. I made a note in my science notebook.

Temperature is measured on two main scales, Fahrenheit and Celsius. They both tell us the same thing, just using different numbers. For example, water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but thats 0 degrees Celsius.

Okay, Sabina said. So there are clouds and sun. Theres wind. And theres temperature. I forgotwhats the last part of weather?

Precipitation, I said. Thats how much rain or snow is falling.

Im glad its not raining or snowing today, Sabina said.

I looked out at that gray cloud on the horizon. Remember, I said, weather can change.

Why do you want to study weather anyway? Sabina asked.

Well, my book says that people measure all the parts of weather so they can notice patterns over time. That way they can predict what the weather might be like in different places at different times, I said.

All right, Sabina said. You said that weather can change. But I still dont get why anyone bothers studying it. We cant change it.

No, I said. But knowing ahead of time can be helpful. If you know what kind of weather is likely to come, you can make plans for the future. Youd know not to go camping when the weather is likely to be cold.

Just then, my little brother Peters Frisbee landed in the water by us, so I dove down to get it. When I came back up, I tossed it back to shore. It landed next to Dads umbrella.

Why does your dad have an umbrella? Sabina asked. Its not raining.

Its not raining now, but remember what I said about using weather patterns to predict weather? Dad and I looked at the weather report on the Internet this morning. The website said it might rain today.

Sabina looked up at those dark clouds she saw earlier. They are getting closer, she said.

Those are nimbus clouds, I said. They carry rain.

Lets get out of here, Sabina said. I dont want to get rained on.

We ran up to shore just in time. It started pouring!

At home, we dried off, and I asked Sabina if she ever thought of moving somewhere with a different . Climate is the range of weather that is typical to an area.

Could we live in a climate that doesnt have much rain? Sabina asked.

Sure, I said. The desert doesnt have much rain. But the temperature gets very hot. You might not like that.

Hmmm... what other kinds of climates are there? asked Sabina.

I grabbed my trusty science notebook to make a list of the five main kinds of climates.

Tropical: hot and humid; close to the equator

Arid: dry, like in deserts