Released Mar. 3, 2008

URBANA, Ill. -- Children aged five to eight have a new way to learn about the weather with the launch of a University of Illinois Extension website, "Riding the Winds with Kalani--A Weather Adventure" (http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kalani/).

"The website teaches the concepts of temperature, clouds, precipitation, and basic earth movements," said Jane Scherer, U of I Extension urban programs/web coordination specialist who developed the new site with two Extension educators--Duane Friend and Greg Stack.

"This is the first of what will eventually be three sites focusing on weather for elementary through high school students. The site takes its name from the Hawaiian word for sky, 'Kalani.'"

In the student section, young users can go through each screen and read the words or listen to the narrative. Animations are included to enhance the learning of weather processes. There is also a teacher's guide section to help teachers use the site to meet Illinois Learning Standards.

Students can also participate in a series of activities to increase their knowledge and understanding of weather.

"We believe the new website will be helpful to teachers, youth-serving organizations, and home schoolers," said Scherer.

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http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4314.html

Contacts: Jane Scherer, (217) 244-2849

Bob Sampson, (217) 244-0225, rsampson@uiuc.edu