Having a Weather, Climate and Climate Change project book will make it easier to host events in conjunction with county 4-H. The Byrd Center outreach team has a small collection of activities that we often bring out, but we have a lot more for polar science than we do for weather and climate. It’s important for materials to be age-appropriate, low-cost and easy for a volunteer to facilitate.

These activities will be valuable to Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists who have completed the Ohio Weather, Climate and Climate Change training that the Byrd Center created with Ohio State Extension last year. When our team was piloting the materials, a number of naturalists asked about related activities for youth. We didn’t have anything readily available for them at the time but we will once the new Weather, Climate and Climate Change project book is complete.

Your contribution helps us reach our goal!

The Exploring Polar Science book that we created with Ohio 4-H a few years ago has been a success with over 1,000 copies distributed in the last 3 years. We’ve even had youth visit the Byrd Center during our monthly public tours, with their project book in hand, to see first-hand some of the labs and samples used to understand Earth’s icy regions. There are always new things being learned and people returning from travel to the field, so each tour is a little different. This project book is judged at state fair each year, allowing youth to show off what they’ve learned and shared with their peers. Researchers from the Byrd Center volunteer each summer to judge.

We were lucky when we created this project book. An undergraduate student at the time, Molly Hunt, had taken a class with Berry Lyons in the School of Earth Sciences. Berry was a Byrd Center researcher and shared the contact information for Jason Cervenec with Molly when she expressed interest in creating a project book. Molly already had experience as she had written another project book, Geology: Can You Dig It? Together, Molly and Jason curated the materials that are in the Exploring Polar Science book. Molly now works at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

We plan to employ Ohio State undergraduate students with content knowledge, in this case atmospheric science, and experience with 4-H to curate and user test materials for this new book.

Every dollar that is donated will be matched up to $5,000! Your contribution could help fund exciting and engaging material to educate youth on how weather and climate affect their community.

Your money goes to financing the creation of compelling and engaging content for the youth of Ohio. This includes working with experienced science educators to develop age-appropriate content to explain the complex science behind Ohio’s weather and climate. Your support ensures we can deliver a book that effectively teaches youth about the fascinating world of weather and climate. The creation of compelling content and engaging visuals are key to captivating young minds interested in this science.

As a special thank you for your contribution, everyone who donates $25 or more will receive a limited-edition sticker that can be seen below! This colorful sticker is a great way to show your support for climate education and spread awareness about the importance of weather literacy. Together, we can create a valuable resource that inspires the next generation of weather enthusiasts and climate champions! Please consider donating today and help us make this exciting project a reality.

Isn’t everyone interested in the weather? It could be as simple as knowing how to dress as you leave for school or what to bring to be prepared for an afternoon picnic, or more consequential as determining if it’s safe to hit the road during winter storms or important to seek shelter immediately during a warning. There are a lot of measurements and technology used to understand Earth’s weather and climate. And once you have enough experience, you start to see patterns, trends, and variations. While we know quite a bit, there is always more to learn.

With Earth’s climate changing, we know that our climate future won’t be the same as our climate past. To prepare for these changes, we don’t just need scientists but people employed in many other careers to help us mitigate and adapt as a society.

We invite you to help us fund Ohio State undergraduate time to curate and test materials to be used in creating a new 4-H project book titled Weather and Climate in Your Community. This book will include technology, hands-on exploration, real-world challenges with data and connections to emerging jobs. We appreciate your help in reaching our goal!