Natural disasters
Natural disasters are dangerous events whose time and place cannot be predicted exactly. Flood: if a lot of rain falls or mountain snow melts fast, river water rises and overflows. Earthquake: the ground shakes when huge plates underground shift. A hurricane is a very strong wind that forms over warm sea water. Fires are most often caused by human carelessness. Drought is a long time without rain, and crops dry up. If we protect nature, save water and electricity and handle fire carefully, the risk of some disasters decreases.
“Which disaster?” game: the teacher reads a description (“ground shakes”, “river overflows”, “no rain for a long time”, “strong wind rips off roofs”) and children name the disaster. Experiment: tilt two trays slightly: one with bare soil, one with soil covered in grass. Pour a glass of water over each. Which one has more soil washed away? Conclusion: plant cover reduces flood risk. Safety: do the experiment over a basin in the yard or bathroom, not on a table.