Crazy Weather

Join SciJinks’ Wild Weather Adventure, scijinks. gov/wild-weather-adventure, and use your weather knowledge to take a journey around the world. The map is your game board, and your transportation is a blimp. Spin the wheel and choose from easy, medium or hard questions. The more difficult the question, the farther forward you move. If you succeed, you’ll beat your opponent to all the continents. Questions include topics such as water cycles, weather patterns, types of clouds and storms. Watch the leaderboard to track who is closest to the Finish Line.

What is the center of a hurricane called?

Dear Amy: My family wants to volunteer for community events this holiday season. How do I find opportunities?

Dear Curtis: What a wonderful idea! This is a great way to spend time with your family while serving your local community. First, think of activities you and your family enjoy. For instance, if you like working with pets, visit local animal shelters and find out their needs. You can volunteer to help care for and walk dogs at a shelter, or collect pet toy and food donations at school.

Organizations like Harvesters provide food year-round to families in need. They can always use helpers to pack and sort donations. If you enjoy working outside, shoveling snow and cleaning up yards for elderly people is a big help. For more ideas, visit Family Volunteering, createthegood.org/ articles/familyvolunteering.

Volunteer opportunities are often posted on library and grocery store bulletin boards. For community events, start at your city’s website to find online calendars. Friends and neighbors are another resource, because they might participate in events around the community and be aware of local needs.