Be Prepared for Extreme Weather – FREE Checklist

Regardless of where you live, some type of extreme weather is inevitable. Be it hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake or other severe weather event, no part of the world is immune from nature’s storms. When our family was reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz I took a bit of inspiration from the infamous tornado that swept Dorothy and Toto off to Oz and decided to create a mini unit study about extreme weather for our children.

 Since we live in Florida and have lived through our share of hurricanes and tropical storms, I thought it would be a good idea to teach my children a little bit about extreme weather and get them involved in creating a family emergency plan.  The result is a fun “mini-book” piece called, “My Extreme Weather Plan & Checklist”. This handy little guide includes the following:

• Checklist of Supplies
• Family Plan
• Hurricane Basics
• Watch vs. Warning – Know the Difference
• Additional Safety Information
• Extreme Weather Word Search
• Atlantic Hurricane Names
• Weather Riddler
• Family Emergency Plan Printable Cards

During our study of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz we also completed a fun rainbow themed science activity using canvas tote bags, Sharpie® pens, rubber bands and plastic droppers. (Here is a quick video from Steve Spangler Science that demonstrates the activity – Sharpie Pen Science.) We then re-purposed the bags to hold each child’s Severe Weather Kit!

The kids had a blast selecting items to include in their bags. Using their “My Extreme Weather Plan & Checklist”, each child checked off necessary items (and added some other goodies not so necessary!).

 “The storm starts, when the drops start dropping
When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping.”
― Dr. Seuss

Lastly, we explored a really fun website designed especially for kids: Weather Wiz Kids. This site was created by a meteorologist who really knows her stuff and shares it in a way the kids enjoy.

We hope you all have as much fun exploring the world of extreme weather as we did and that our ideas, tools and suggestions help keep you and your family safe!

 We invite your family to create your own Emergency plan by downloading a FREE copy of

My Extreme Weather Plan & Checklist

By Kat Reader – I am the proud mama to 3 incredible boys. Our family began our homeschooling journey in 2006 when my oldest was in 2nd grade and the twins were barely 6 months old. I’m passionate about researching resources and activities that allow my children to use all of their senses and learning styles. With the support and partnership of a dear friend and business partner, I’ve delved into my creative side to create meaningful tools, lesson plans, lapbooks, scrapbooks, co-ops and more to help support our families’ learning. We are proud to share our work with other families via www.WorldforLearning.com, allowing us to laugh, play and grow together!