Posts Tagged teachers

STEM Tuesday– Natural Disasters– Writing Tips & Resources

Preparedness Essentials

When I show my former English teacher wife a new draft of a project, she often responds, “THAT’S A DISASTER!” 

When this occurs, I celebrate that I’ve at least accomplished one of my writing goals of eliciting an emotional response from my reader. 

Goal accomplished? Not really. It’s just a “gentle” reminder from my wife that a draft is a draft and there’s a whole lot of work to be done. 

The disaster comment, however, did trigger a thought. A thought that happened to coincide with my May 2025 STEM Tuesday assignment on Natural Disasters. When I checked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website for natural disaster preparedness information, I found a list of four tips they provide to help people get ready. 

  1. Be informed
  2. Make a plan
  3. Assemble a kit
  4. Maintain your plan and kit

As I read the list, the first thought that popped into my head was “Man, this is so simple and so powerful. Why haven’t I done all these steps yet to prepare for tornado season in Kansas?”

The second thing that popped into my head was a realization that these four simple tips for natural disaster preparedness seamlessly mesh with writing and creating. My brain exploded. My thoughts ran wild. My STEM Tuesday Natural Disasters post plan fell into my lap. 

Wow! Listening to my wife actually paid off. 

Who knew?

no, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Be Informed

A pretty straightforward one here, right? Do the work to gather the information and mental power needed to start and finish a project. Whether that’s knowing the inside and outside of a nonfiction manuscript you’re writing, or all the necessary details that make works of fiction jump off the page, the creative brain needs to be loaded. The quality of input directly affects the quality of the output. Just as knowing what media and emergency sources to pay attention to can greatly improve chances of a healthy outcome in a natural disaster, having a creator brain loaded with good information greatly improves the chances of successful creation.

Make a Plan

Yes, even the pantster creator needs a plan. Even if their planning is not as stringent or as deep as the classic plotter, planning provides direction toward achieving the goal. With a plan directing the effort toward the final goal, none of the stockpiled creative currency and energy is wasted. Even when the final product barely resembles the first draft, a creator can reap maximum rewards from their creative currency driven by a plan.

Assemble a Kit

A disaster survival kit might include fresh water, food, flashlights, batteries, and medications. Reliable and necessary things that assist in working through a natural disaster. A creator’s kit is similar. It contains physical tools, like notebooks, pens, brushes, media, computers/tablets, and desk space. The creator’s kit also contains the skills required to create what the creators want to create. Language, grammar, drawing/painting, storytelling, and narrative skills are just a few examples of skills that belong in the creator kit.

Maintain Your Plan & Kit

The disaster kit should be inspected several times a year to ensure the food and water are fresh, the batteries are not dead, the flashlights work, and the radio works despite the kids constantly getting into the kit to play with the “ancient” communications technology. The disaster plan needs to be discussed and rehearsed so everyone knows what to do in an emergency.

Regular maintenance of the creator’s kit is just as vital to ensure it’s ready to create when the creator is ready to create. Practice and repetition are probably the most important things for the creator to maintain or upgrade skills. Being open to learning is always a beneficial path for creators to take in maintaining or upgrading their creator kit.

See? Natural Disaster preparation can provide lessons in building a successful creative practice!

Now that you know, you can go and build your creative preparedness plan, although you might wait until after you take care of your natural disaster preparedness plan.

Stay safe, friends! We need you around to create your wonderful work!

 

Dave Harlow, USGS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal-opportunity sports enthusiast, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/life/training-related topics at www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at www.mikehaysbooks.comTwo of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101,  are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming Bluesky under the guise of @mikehays64.bsky.social and @MikeHays64 on Instagram.

 


The O.O.L.F Files

This month on the Out Of Left Field (O.O.L.F.) Files, we take a deep dive into natural disasters through educational materials, current issues, and a blast from the past.  

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

PBS Learning Media

USDA Forest Service

(NOTE: May 18, 2025, was the 45th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption. It doesn’t seem that long ago. A high school friend whose family moved to Washington state just before the eruption brought a sandwich bag of volcanic ash when he returned for a visit to Kansas in the summer of 1981. I still have that bag in storage. It helps me remember the event across 45 years of time and space.)

U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Ready

Launched in February 2003, Ready is a National public service campaign designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies and disasters. The goal of the campaign is to promote preparedness through public involvement.

 

 


STEM Tuesday– Natural Disasters– In the Classroom

 

While this month’s theme is natural disasters, I focused on just one: wildfires. The books I read all had a lot of overlap. They were:

Cover shows deer and other animals running and flying against a background of red and yellow with silhouettes of trees.Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires
by Jessica Stremer, illustrated by Michael Garland

Of the books I read this month, Fire Escape covers the most material and has the highest word count. Topics include how plants and animals survive wildfires, how animals are treated after being injured in a fire, how goats act as a fire prevention tool, and much more. I suspect everyone will find at least one topic that interests them in this book. The numerous Fire Fact! factoids provide lots of interesting tidbits for trivia-minded readers.

 

Book cover shows three firefighters on a green hill with a red and yellow sky above. The lead firefighter holds a yellow hose, out of which bluish-gray water is streaming.They Hold the Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them
by Dan Paley, illustrated by Molly Mendoza

They Hold the Line packs a lot of information in a relatively low word count. It’s a great book for visual learners. I really loved reading the illustrator’s notes about how they chose the colors to use for the illustrations.

 

I also read two other books about wildfires that were not on the monthly theme list.

Book cover shows several pine trees silhouetted against the yellow and red of a wildfire burning behind them. Grayish smoke rises above the flames.Wildfires
by Georgia Beth

Of the books I read this month, Wildfires has the most in-depth coverage of the chemistry of fire. It packs a lot of information into a relatively short format.

 

 

Book title overlays a raging wildfire - trees silhouetted against bright orange and red flames with sparks flying overhead. Inset pictures show a campfire, a firefighter preparing to repel out of a helicopter, and a plane dumping a red substance onto a forest near a fire.

All About Wildfires
by Alessandra Potenza

All About Wildfires does a great job of combining text with visuals to get points across. There are quite a few graphic representations that are great for illustrating how to communicate information or data in different ways. There is a nice experiment at the end to explore the relationship between trees/vegetation and landslides.

 

 

Over the past year, wildfires have been rather prominent in my life. New Jersey – where I live – had a near record drought last year. This brought on almost daily wildfires, all over the state. Recently, a fire burned along the Jersey Shore, making its way onto the state’s most destructive fires list. This “Jones Road” fire was spotted April 22 and reached 100% containment just before I started writing this post on May 12. This fire was one of many around the U.S. that have garnered lots of attention in the news due to their severity.

So, on to activities that can connect readers with these books.

Explore Fire Science

In addition to activities given in some of the books, there are some great science experiments that explore fire. Here are a few.

See first-hand the role oxygen plays in fire using tealight candles and different sized jars. Here’s one version of this activity on Education.com: https://www.education.com/activity/article/candle-snuffing-contest

Fire Extinguisher Experiment from Science Explorers:  https://scienceexplorers.com/diy-fire-extinguisher-experiment-for-kids

There is a lesson plan, including links to videos and other resources, along with a matchstick forest fire demonstration on the Headwaters Science Institute web site: https://headwatersscienceinstitute.org/wildfire-science

Explore Fire Data

Fire data is provided in the books in different ways. Look into data that’s available and consider creating your own.

Check out the National Risk Index from FEMA: https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/wildfire – explore the map to determine what the fire risk is in your area.

If you want to do a deep dive, the USDA has a website called Wildfire Risk to Communities (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/wildfirerisk). You can put in your state or other community name and explore different wildfire risks, like the risk to homes. This website describes how it calculated risk, as well as ways to reduce that risk.

If you want to create some graphs, here’s one source of data. You can graph the number of fires and/or the number of acres burned in the U.S. over time using data from the National Interagency Fire Center: https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics/wildfires. You could also do some calculations, like figuring out the average number of acres each fire burned each year.

Explore Stewardship

Many of the books discuss stewardship of the land. This year, I enrolled in the Rutgers Environmental Steward program (https://envirostewards.rutgers.edu), so this is something I’ve thought a lot about lately.

What does land stewardship mean? You could explore this topic individually, in small groups, or as a larger group. It might work best to do a combination of all three. A good place to start might be to read a definition of stewardship. Then think about what this means in relation to land. How does land stewardship impact natural disasters like wildfires? What is each individual’s role in the stewardship of our shared lands?

Explore More

There are other places where you can explore wildfire topics in more depth. One is a website from the National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fire/fire-in-depth.htm, which is part of an even broader topic: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fire/wildland-fire-subject.htm. This is an incredible rabbit hole you could dive into, learning about wildland fire careers, fire ecology, fire behavior, and much more.

If you want to learn more about the different causes of wildfires, check out this page from the National Interagency Fire Center: https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/fire-prevention-education-mitigation/wildfire-investigation. If you want a real challenge, see if you can find out the causes of the past year’s wildfires in your state. Then think about how you can present that information using graphs and charts.

Explore headlines and other news sources to see what wildfires are making the news today.

There are lots of other resources out there. Pick a topic and see where the exploration takes you.

 

There are endless activities that could be tied into this topic. Hopefully the few listed here inspire you to explore more.


Janet Slingerland has written over 2 dozen books for young readers. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website: http://janetsbooks.com

STEM Tuesday– Natural Disasters– Book List

 

Natural disasters are a source of concern and curiosity. The titles below get to the heart of the science, providing great information for kids who want to dig deeper into the subject. From volcanoes to hurricanes, tornadoes to floods – these books will give readers answers, and helpful advice on how to prepare for such an event.

 

The Science of Natural Disasters: When Nature and Humans Collide

 

The Science of Natural Disasters: When Nature and Humans Collide

by Diane C. Taylor

A great introduction to the science of natural disasters like wildfires, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, and their effects on humans. Kids can work with investigative activities, brainstorm solutions, and even learn about different careers related to studying, managing and finding solutions to natural disasters.

 

 

Science Comics: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate

 

Science Comics: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology and Climate

written by MK Reed, illustrated by Jonathan Hill

Using a graphic novel format and a fictitious weatherman, this book introduces readers to the basics of meteorology – the water cycle, tornadoes, hurricanes, and the causes and effects of climate change. An accessible book to grasp information

 

 

 

Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires (Books for a Better Earth)

 

Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires

by Jessica Stremer, illustrated by Michael Garland

An engagingly written, beautifully illustrated book on how animals and plants detect and respond to wildfires, how they have adapted to them, and how climate change is affecting these events.

 

 

 

 

 

They Hold the Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them

by Dan Paley, illustrated by Molly Mendoza

A dramatic look into the complex and dangerous work of first responders, this book takes the reader on a gripping mission to battle wildfires. An accessible, informative book.

 

 

 

All About Earthquakes: Discovering How Earth Moves and Shakes

by Libby Romero

Readers will learn the causes and the effects of earthquakes, how they are measured, and much more. Full of activities and photographs.

 

 

 

 

The Big One: The Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives

by Elizabeth Rusch

The author follows scientists as they dig into the earth, into historical records and lake and ocean soil to find when the next massive earthquake is due in the Pacific Northwest, and what we can do about it to save lives.

 

 

Mountain of Fire: The Eruption and Survivors of Mount St Helens

by Rebecca E. F. Barone

The exciting true-life account of the eruption of Mount St Helens in 1980, recounted through the lives of scientists, survivors and others, gives readers insight into what a volcanic eruption and the aftermath is really like.

 

 

 

 

 

Volcano: Where Fire and Water Meet

by Cerullo, Mary M.

Everyone knows about the destructive forces of a volcano, but not what happens after it has finished erupting. Discover what volcanoes have in common with coral reefs and sea life, uncover long kept secrets, and follow along on an adventure as the author weaves together science, history and mythology to lead readers on an exciting journey into the world of volcanoes.

 

 

 

The Deadliest Hurricanes Then and Now

by Deborah Hopkinson

Meteorologists have the capability of tracking storms today, but that wasn’t always the case. In 1900, a devastating storm hit Galveston, Texas – inspiring the beginnings of meteorology. Follow this fast-paced storm as the author brings it to life with photographs, charts and illustrations and discover where the science of hurricanes and weather began.

 

 

 

 

 

Eyewitness: Hurricane & Tornado

by Jack Challone

This book is a handy guide to the dangerous and destructive powers of hurricanes and tornadoes. With the help of amazing images, models and illustrations, readers will get a unique view of these fascinating and catastrophic weather conditions. Learn techniques developed to forecast weather and discover some stories that you might not believe are true!

 

 

 

Tsunamis: Causes and Effects

by Eamonn Corrigan

Open up this book to get the facts about tsunamis. Both dangerous and destructive, learn about what causes them, dive into the history of the world’s worst ones, and discover safety tips on how to survive one, as you explore a world of statistics, sidebars and other fascinating information.

 

 

 

Natural Disasters: A Collection of Inspiring Survival Stories and Facts about Friendship, Courage, and Rescue to Motivate Young Smart Minds

 

Natural Disasters: A Collection of Inspiring Survival Stories and Facts about Friendship, Courage, and Rescue to Motivate Young Smart Minds

by Michelle Burton

With this book readers will discover the how’s and why’s of natural disasters. They’ll launch into exciting survival stories to discover inspirational life-saving tips. Anyone who is fascinated by the science of natural disasters will come away with the tools they need to tackle the challenges after reading this book.

 

 

 

1000+ Natural Disaster Facts for Kids: Tsunami, Hurricane, Tornado, Volcano, Earthquakes, Storm and more for Kids

 

1000+ Natural Disaster Facts for Kids: Tsunami, Hurricane, Tornado, Volcano, Earthquakes, Storm and more for Kids

by Ntormy Kampless

Filled with fun facts and interesting illustrations, this book explores natural disasters in an engaging way. From tornadoes to volcanoes to earthquakes, this book brings these events to life.

 

 

 

 

 

Extreme Weather for Kids: Lessons and Activities All About Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards, and More! 

This book uses reports and photos from the field to give readers hands-on weather studies activities.  It’s action-packed, full of fascinating information, and easy for readers to engage with; providing an exciting introduction to meteorology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Summers is a wildlife enthusiast and an author. Contact her at: https://susan-inez-summers.weebly.com/

 

 

Shruthi Rao is an author. Her home on the web is https://shruthi-rao.com