What is El Niño exactly? Why are we having such crazy weather? The Franklin Institute's El Niño page explains it in simple terms. This page even gives you a simple experiment that your students can do using cups of water! The "Science of El Niño" page explains El Niño. Did you know that it is simply a convection process that occurs when hot air evaporates from hot water? Read more on this site and also link to cool sites that track El Niño and ocean currents!

****One Sky, Many Voices is a four-star site! This site can be translated into many languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and German! It includes links to a project called "Kids as Global Scientists". Kids as Global Scientists helps teachers and students utilize the full educational potential of Internet tools and weather resources to study weather. Student's work, weather stories, and observations are published online in an electronic newsletter. Further, useful curriculum information and resources are provided! 

*WeatherNet: This site offers a number of cool resources including links with satelitte and radar pictures, links to weather resources, as well as daily, live pictures of weather conditions in over 120 cities and resorts around North America. The WeatherMaps link is the "Net's best surface and upper air analyses, including temperature maps, regional weatherplots, and jet stream maps." In addition, you can track storms and hurricanes from this site!

* Cloud Quest: Is your head in the clouds? Today you're going to become cloud crazy! You have been hired as a meteorologist for Katonah Elementary School. You will become an expert on different types of white puffs in the sky. 

* Center for Ocean, Land and Atmosphere Studies Weather and Climate Page: "This site offers sophisticated climatology resources as well as current forecasts, research papers, and links to research scientists." Links to information and maps related to current conditions, weather forecasts, climate outlooks, and El Niño forecasts.

* Global Lab: "Global Lab is an international network of schools linked by telecommunications, shared curriculum, and common goals. Middle and high school students practice science and investigate the environmental health of the planet. Participating students and teachers can sample from the many Global Lab modules or can undertake the full, two semester long Global Lab curriculum."

* National Center for Environmental Education and Training: EE-Link is a list of resources, directories, and curriculum information related to environmental education. This site also shares classroom activities and projects that might be useful in your classroom!