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Activities & Games on Tornadoes

Such movies as "The Wizard of Oz" and "Twister" have helped boost kids' awareness of tornadoes in popular culture. While they may understand the damage that tornadoes could cause, kids may think the accompanying funnel-shaped clouds look cool and want to have some tornado fun. When participating in tornado activities and games, kids test their tornado knowledge, control tornado characters and make mini-tornadoes, among other tasks.

Quizzes
- Kids read tornado facts and fill in the blanks in "Brainteasers: Tornado," found at National Geographic Kids. Players click the correct answer and learn tornado tidbits along the way. After answering 11 questions, kids find out their rank. Answering all questions correctly gives kids the rank of "Wizard of Oz."
Tornado-As-Protagonist Games
- Players maneuver a twister through the countryside in MumboJumbo's "Tornado Jockey," available as a PC game. Rated "T" for ages 13 and up, this game challenges players to eat mini-tornadoes and obtain power-ups to boost the force of their tornado. Throughout the game, kids destroy amusement parks, baseball stadiums, dairy farms, vehicles, and other obstacles and settings. Enemies, such as ray cannons, rockets and storm chasers, try to stop the tornado.
  
  Players pick up objects to increase their tornado size in Konami Digital Entertainment's "Tornado Outbreak," available for Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In this game, players move across cities, fields and other areas as they control their tornado's movements and battle evil creatures.
Tornado-Making Activities
- Kids can use household items to create their own tornado scene. As an adult supervises, kids fill a 1-quart jar with water. Kids then add to the jar 2 teaspoons each of liquid dish detergent and white vinegar, as well as two drops of blue or green food coloring. Putting small objects, such as dollhouse furniture or plastic animals, in the jar may make it easier to see the tornado's direction and speed. After securing the jar with a lid, kids use both hands to shake the jar in a circular motion. At this point, a "tornado" should appear.
  
  As an alternative, kids can set virtual tornadoes in motion at online sites. In National Geographic's "Forces of Nature," kids choose the ideal atmospheric conditions for a tornado. In Discovery Channel's "Grow Your Own Tornado," kids use the Fujita Tornado Scale to set a tornado's intensity level.
Miscellaneous Games
- Superman tries to save the Kent farm from a Darkseid-created tornado in "Justice League: Brink of Apokolips," found at Daily Free Games. In the game's first challenge, kids try to save all the farm items caught up in the tornado before time runs out. Each time players take on the tornado challenge, they have more items to save.
  
  Kids embark on simulated pursuits of tornadoes in "Storm Chasers: The Chase," found at Discovery Channel. In this game, players must reach the tornado before time runs out. Kids use the tracking map to see their proximity to the tornado and press the directional arrow keys to move their vehicle.
  
  Tornadoes battle each other at the track in "Tornado Race," found at GamezHero. In this game, players destroy houses to obtain weapons and use those weapons against opponents.

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