My grandkids, they always askin’ me, “What’s them classroom weather balloon kits?” They see ’em on the TV, I reckon, all them fancy things for learnin’. Well, I ain’t never been much for schoolin’, but I know a thing or two about weather. You don’t need no fancy kit to see which way the wind’s blowin’.
But these kids today, they like their gadgets. So, these classroom weather balloon kits, they got all sorts of things in ’em. Balloons, of course. Big ones, little ones, all colors. You fill ’em up with air, or maybe that helium stuff that makes ’em float up high. Then they got strings to tie ’em down, so they don’t go sailin’ off to kingdom come.
I seen one time, they had this little box, it looked like a radio or some such. Teacher said it was a, what’s that word… a “sensor.” It could tell you how hot or cold it was, how much rain was fallin’, even how fast the wind was blowin’. Now, that’s somethin’. Back in my day, we just stuck our finger out the window. If it got wet, it was rainin’.
These classroom weather balloon kits, they’re supposed to teach the young’uns about the weather. How it works, why it changes, all that stuff. I guess it’s a good thing. Better than sittin’ in a classroom starin’ at a chalkboard all day.
- Blow up a balloon without blowing, that’s what they say.
- They say you can pop a balloon with an orange. Ain’t that somethin’?
- Kids, they learn better with their hands, not just their heads.
My grandkids, they tried to show me one of them classroom weather balloon kits. They got a balloon, filled it up with air, let it go. It just kinda floated around the room. Not very excitin’, if you ask me. But they were all giggles, chasin’ it around, tryin’ to catch it. They also tried that orange thing, but, all it did was make a mess, I tell you.
I told ’em, “If you wanna learn about the weather, you gotta go outside. Feel the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair. Watch the clouds roll by, see how they change shape. That’s how you learn about the weather.” Them kids need to forget them fancy classroom weather balloon kits.
Now they have these things they call “weather activities.” Back in my day, we just called it playin’ outside. But these, they got rules and steps and all that. One of ’em, they call it a “sundial”. It’s just a stick in the ground and a plate. You watch the shadow of the stick move as the sun goes across the sky. Now why you need a special kit for that? A stick and some dirt, that’s all you need.
These classroom weather balloon kits, they try to make learnin’ about the weather fun. I suppose that’s a good thing. But nothin’ beats real life. You can’t learn about the smell of rain from a balloon. You gotta be out there, breathin’ it in. Those kits, they ain’t got no smell of rain.
These kits, they say they make learnin’ easier. Maybe they do. But I remember learnin’ just fine without ’em. We learned by doin’, by watchin’, by feelin’. That’s how you really learn. Not from some box with balloons and strings.
I told my grandkids, “You want a real classroom weather balloon kit? Go outside. Find a big field. Take a balloon if you want. But watch the clouds. Feel the wind. That’s your kit. That’s how you learn about the weather.” They looked at me kinda funny, but I think they got it.
So these classroom weather balloon kits, they might be okay for some folks. But me, I’ll stick to the old ways. The real way. The way nature intended. Ain’t no kit gonna teach you what you can learn just by lookin’ up at the sky. Not a darn thing.
These teachers, they mean well. They tryin’ to teach these kids somethin’. And that’s good. But they overthink it, I reckon. You don’t need all them fancy things. Just open your eyes and look around. The world’s a big classroom, and it don’t cost nothin’.
Kids are curious, that’s for sure. They always askin’ questions. “Why is the sky blue?” “Where does the rain come from?” Them classroom weather balloon kits, they try to answer those questions. But the best answers, they come from nature herself.
I ain’t sayin’ these kits are bad. They just ain’t necessary. You wanna learn? Go outside. That’s all there is to it. These new ways are too complex, all these gadgets. Life’s simple if you let it be.