The Topic:  Wind Easier - Wind is air that moves over the earth's surface. Wind is moving air. Wind can move so softly that it can hardly be felt. Or it may blow so hard and fast that it smashes over trees and buildings.   Harder - Wind is often defined as the horizontal movement of air relative to the earth's surface. All winds, from gentle breezes to raging hurricanes, are caused by differences in the temperature of the atmosphere, by rotation of the Earth, and by unequal heating of the continents and the oceans. The sun heats the earth's surfaces unevenly. Air above hot areas expands and rises. Air from cooler areas then flows in to replace the heated air. This process is called circulation.   There are three types of wind circulation. Circulation over the entire earth is the general circulation. Smaller-scale circulations that cause day-to-day wind changes are known as synoptic-scale circulations. Winds that occur only in one place are called local winds.     Where Wind Comes From at Kite Science http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/wind1.html This module introduces the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces and their role in generating wind. Other Wind Reference Sites: 2) Wind from Weather Wiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-wind.htm 3) Forces and Wind: Online Meteorology Guide from University of Illinois http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/fw/home.rxml   Understanding Wind, Jet Streams at USA Today  http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wwind0.htm This site has a wind calculator link for estimating wind speed and direction, and jumps to discussions of different wind types (some blow uphill, others down), wind chill, how winds form, jet stream formation, the jet stream's influence on weather conditions, wind flow patterns (including the "Pineapple Express") and wind shear. Related Site: 2) Wind http://wings.avkids.com/Book/Atmosphere/instructor/wind-01.html   Wind at Dan's Wild Weather Page http://www.wildwildweather.com/wind.htm This site tells all about wind and its relationship to our changing weather.   American Wind Energy Association http://www.awea.org/ Learn about wind energy and how it is used to produce electricity and mechanical energy. Other Sites on Wind Energy: 2) Wind Power at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power 3) Wind Energy from U.S. Department of Energy http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/ 4) Wind Energy from the California Energy Commission http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter16.html 5) Wind Research at National Renewable Energy Laboratory http://www.nrel.gov/wind/   After visiting several of the websites, complete one or more of the following 'windy' activities.   Celebrate National Kite Month . . .   Go Fly a Kite! But before you do that, make your own kite. Go to Make A Kite at PBS and Learn2 Make a Kite to get ideas and procedures for making your kite. For more complex designs visit How to Build Kites and The Tetrahedral Kite: Easy to Make, Easy to Fly! Also visit How to Make and Fly Kites - A Complete Guide.   Build Your Own Wind Observation Station. Get started with a visit to Observing Wind at the Miami Museum of Science. Follow the directions for making your own wind measurement tools. Don't forget to make an Anemometer from directions at the Franklin Institute or Make an Anemometer. After constructing the needed tools, begin keeping a daily record of your wind observations. Consider recording data at the same time every day - - for example taking measurements in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. You also might use the online Wind Chill Calculator and Wind Speed Conversion.   Make A Windsock. You can find lots of ideas at AVariety of Ways to Make a Windsock from CanTeach and How to Make a Windsock for Children at WikiHow. Windmill. Make a simple windmill with materials you can find around the house: How to Make a Windmill. Write a Wind Poem. If you need to know more about poetry, first go to Poetry for Kids. Then write some of your own poems about wind. You might include a simile like 'the wind roared in like a lion.'   More Windy Websites From Windmills to Whirligigs  http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/vollis/ This site provides a unique science and art connection to wind. Here you can tour Simpson's farm and see close-ups of how his fanciful windmills work. Other Sites: 2) Whirligigs at Wikipedia   Kite History http://www.kitehistory.com/ Learn a little about the history of kites and kiting. Other Kite Websites: 2) Kite at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite 3) Kite History: A Simple History of Kiting http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/hist1.html 4) Kites as an Educational Tool http://www.gombergkites.com/nkm/index.html 5) National Kite Month http://www.nationalkitemonth.org/history/   Wind Storms, Gust Fronts & Outflow http://www.chaseday.com/wind.htm This site provides background information and images of damage that can be caused by wind storms.   Websites for Teachers Bubble Fun and Learning at KinderArt (Preschool and Kindergarten)  http://www.kinderart.com/across/bubbles.htm Youngsters can learn about the wind and the colors in the sky while sharpening observation skills.   Ride the Wind at Teaching Online (Grade 3-5)  http://www.teachingonline.org/wind.html This is a cross-curricular lesson involving science, art, math, and music.   Soar Into Spring With Kites! at Education World  http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson056.shtml Soar out of the winter doldrums with a lesson plan both you and your students are sure to enjoy. Related Websites: 2) 20 Kids * 20 Kites * 20 Minutes http://www.bigwindkites.com/20kids/   Understanding Wind Direction and Making a Wind Vane at AskEric Lessons (Grade K-3)  http://askeric.org/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Meteorology/MET0022.html Wind vanes have been used to measure wind direction for hundreds of years. The students will make wind vanes and decorate them with symbols that represent their interests.   windsock kite sailing weathervane thunderstorm Beaufort's scale wind energy solar wind pinwheel windmill tornado wind chill prevailing winds density low pressure wind speed wind direction North wind jet atream weather balloon anemometer wind farm names of wind wind instrument gust wind storm light solar energy surface wind trade wind wind flow wind turbine sun wind tunnel wind wind shear winds tail wind Doldrums El Nino Coriolis effect sea breeze 'mariah' draft 'chinook' 'santa ana' upwind Westerlies       Created by Annette Lamb and Larry Johnson, 4/00. Updated, 3/2010.