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Exploding elephant toothpaste. An air bazooka. A floating beach ball.
It’s not exactly what you’d expect to find inside an elementary school — unless meteorologist Samantha Augeri is the guest speaker.
“The props are so important. I love to get the kids involved,” Augeri said with a smile Thursday at Fifth Avenue Elementary School in Bay Shore. “The more fun they’re having, the more fun I’m having.”
Welcome to Sam’s Weather School, an interactive weather and science program designed to make learning hands-on — and memorable.
Augeri is no stranger to explaining snowstorms and hurricanes. Last August, she wrapped up her second stint as News 12 Long Island’s nighttime meteorologist. But she wasn’t ready to stop forecasting, so she decided to take her show on the road.
That idea became a traveling presentation now visiting elementary schools across Nassau, Suffolk, New York City, and Westchester. Where does wind come from? What causes volcanic eruptions? Why do clouds swirl? All questions Augeri is happy to tackle.
“I figured, why not share what I know with students?” Augeri said. “They know what thunder and lightning are — but I get to show them the science behind it.”
“She just has a natural way about her, and I noticed that right away,” Christine Chocko, the assistant principal at Fifth Avenue Elementary School, told Greater Long Island. “She has a passion for this and a passion for education. It’s the perfect combination.”
Beyond the experiments, Augeri — who also contributes whether reports for GLI on social media — gives students a chance to step in front of the green screen and try their hand at being a meteorologist themselves.
“We’ll definitely be seeing some of these kids on TV in the future,” she said.
As for the forecast in Bay Shore this week: sunny, with a 100% chance of awesomeness.
Photos: Sam Augeri during a recent visit to Fifth Avenue Elementary School in Bay Shore. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)
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