Title: We’re Off To Hawaii Volcanoes National Park!

General Topic: Volcanoes

Grade Level: 3-5

Introduction

Hi, my name is Peter. Last night, my Mom and Dad told us that we can go on a BIG vacation this year. My fifteen year old sister, Ashley, wants to go skiing in Aspen. Nothing against skiing, but I want to go to Hawaii because I love volcanoes and I want to go to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and see real, active volcanic action! Ashley thinks that she will meet Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio on the Aspen slopes and be swishing around with them, so she is trying VERY hard to persuade my parents. Our job – you’re with me on this, right? – is to make a pamphlet about volcanoes, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in particular, which will absolutely convince them that Hawaii is the place to go. C’mon!

Your Challenge

We have to get background information on volcanoes, find our way around the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and make it so exciting that they all vote for Hawaii as our vacation destination. Oh, we have to throw in some educational things to please Mom (we know that Ashley won’t be able to find THOSE in Aspen) and lots of cool stuff to interest Dad.

The Journey

Whenever I mention volcanoes, Ashley says, “Who cares, they don’t exist anymore anyway.” Oh Yeah? Volcanoes frequently erupt all over the world. Our Earth is a fiery hot mass at the core, and the tectonic plates below us shift around frequently. We need a count of how many eruptions have occurred in 2002. Let’s prove her wrong. Did you count and write that down? That’s great pamphlet material.

Now, to satisfy Mom, we have to provide a glossary of terms (she’ll be so impressed) which we’ll place as the last page of the pamphlet. We don’t need to go too far; let’s just define: Ash, Lava, Magma and Volcano.

Dad, of course, likes the technical stuff, so let’s give him a cool diagram to ponder. Now we have to add some drama, so let’s get information on what kind of destruction volcanoes can cause. That first paragraph in the Introduction gives us great ammunition.

O.K., have we set the stage for Hawaii? I think so. Each island in the Hawaiian Islands is made up of at least one primary volcano. Many islands are composites of more than one. We need to concentrate on The Big Island because that’s where the Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park is located. For the pamphlet, let’s name the five major volcanoes that make up The Big Island, identify the largest active volcano on earth and tell which volcano is the most productive volcano on earth. Productive, in volcano language, means how much lava it erupts each year. Oh, let’s also tell them where the Hawaiian hot spot is presently!

On to the Park! Mom and Dad will devour Park information. Mom will be happy because she always wants to know what to pack and what to expect. Dad needs to be kept active, so we have to give him an exciting schedule. Ashley? We’ll give her a CD player and headset. So let’s find out times, phone numbers, schedules and events for the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

That was great! Did you see those pictures? I copied three of them, and I’m going to use them in the brochure. I want to keep Ashley occupied (and quiet) while I discuss all this with Mom and Dad, so I’m going to include an “activity” for her. I’m going to copy a dot-to-dot of the famous Mt. Rainer in Washington State and include it in the brochure right after the Park information.

I think we did a great job. Is your brochure looking as good as mine? I can already feel the heat and smell the air of The Big Island!

To get more information, visit these sites:

http://www.volcanoworld.org/vwdocs/kids/kids.html

http://www.education-world.com/awards/past/r0899-05.shtml

http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/hotspots.html

To get even more information, use these key words with search engines:

Volcanic activity

United States, Volcanoes

Volcanoes and the Hawaiian Islands

Mailto Link: joyce@alspach.com