Weather

Language & Literacy

Books

What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Ann Schwartz (This is a neat little book with colored ribbons that go through the whole thing as you read it.)

The Cloud Book by Tomie dePalo

Rain Song by Lezlie Evans

Snow Dance by Lezlie Evans

Wind by Susan Canizares

Sun by Susan Canizares

Storms by Susan Canizares

Weather by Pamela Chanko

I am Snow by Gail Gibbons

Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons

Louhi Witch of North Farm retold by Toni De Gerz (A folktale about the sun and the moon)

Activities:

Read:

Literacy :Rainbow Mobiles: After reading What Makes a Rainbow, have children make these fun rainbow mobiles to help reinforce the colors.
Supplies: Cloud shape drawn on white paper (can precut for younger kids), white cotton balls, strips of 6 colored construction paper, glue, scissors, paper punch, string
Directions: Have kids cut out the cloud shape and punch holes on top, tie string to it, to hang it by. Glue colored strips of paper to the back side of cloud. 

Songs, Poems, & Fingerplays:

What's The Weather?

What's the weather, what's the weather

what's the weather like today?

Is it sunny, rainy, or snowy 

what's the weather like today?

Literacy : Create Weather Wheels for the kids to use to indicate the days weather. Each day sing the song and have them switch their weather wheel to indicate the days weather.

 

If all the Rain Drops Were Lemon Drops and Gum Drops 

If all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops,

Oh what a rain that would be.

 I'd be standing outside with my mouth open wide... 

(with tongue sticking out sing) eh, eh, eh-eh,

eh, eh-eh,

eh, eh-eh. repeat

I See the Wind
I see the wind when the leaves dance by,
(Dance hands around)
I see the wind when the clothes wave "Hi!"
(Wave hand)
I see the wind when the trees bend low,
(Bend arms over and down)
I see the wind when the flags all blow.
(Wave arms high)
I see the wind when the kites fly high,
(Raise arms high)
I see the wind when the clouds float by.
(Gently wave hands)
I see the wind when it blows my hair,
(Lift hair with hands)
I see the wind 'most everywhere!
(Hold hands out, palms up)
Jean Warren

**1001 Rhymes & Finger Plays, Warren Publishing House

 Once upon a Rhyme: 101 Poems for Young Children

Rainbow Colors
Rainbow purple, rainbow blue,
Rainbow green and yellow too.
Rainbow orange, rainbow red,
Rainbow smiling overhead.
Come and count the colors with me,
How many colors can you see?
One, two, three, up to green,
Four, five, six colors can be seen.
Jean Warren
**1001 Rhymes & Fingerplays, Warren Publishing House

The Big Round Sun
The big round sun in the springtime sky,
(Form large circle with arms.)
Winked at a cloud that was passing by.
(Wink eye.)
The little cloud laughed as it scattered rain,
(Flutter fingers downward.)
Then out came the big round sun again.
(Form large circle with arms.)
Adapted Traditional
**1001 Rhymes & Fingerplays, Warren Publishing House

Rain on the Green Grass
Rain on the green grass,
Rain on the tree.
Rain on the housetop,
But not on me!
Adapted Traditional
**1001 Rhymes & Finger Plays, Totline, Warren Publishing House

Activities

Weather Wheels: Print our Weather Wheel Activity pictures and have the children color, and cut them out. Then glue them to a small paper plate. Attach an arrow to the center using a brass fastener. The children can turn the arrow to indicate the weather for the day.

Math & Number Concepts

Umbrella Raindrop Match Up: Program umbrellas with numbers and glue them to a large piece of tag board. Cut enough raindrop shapes from blue construction paper so that children can place the correct number of raindrop under each umbrella.

Weather Chart: Chart the weather for an extended period of time. Ask the children to predict what there will be more of sunny or rainy days. After several weeks ask the children to answer some basic math questions about the chart. Such as, What were there more of sunny, rainy, or snowy days?  What type of weather happened the least? Why do you think that was? How many days were sunny? How many days were windy? etc.

Art

Raindrop Pictures: Set out coffee filters and blue watered down tempera or water color paint with small pipettes for the children to drop rain drops on.

Tissue Paper Rainbows: Precut large rainbow shapes. Offer them at the easel with colored tissue squares and watered down white glue with paint brushes. Demonstrate to the children how to brush on the glue and encourage them to make a rainbow collage with the tissue paper.

Water Color Rainbows:  Demonstrate to the children how to use watercolor paints.  Show them how to paint a simple rainbow picture.  Provide them with copies of the rainbow poem to glue to their picture if they wish.

Umbrella Pictures
Directions: Color and cut out umbrella pictures and glue to construction paper, splatter paint over the top of the picture with a tooth brush dipped in blue paint. Have copies of the poem Rain On The Green Grass for the children to glue on their picture.

Craft Activity:  

Make a Wind Sock
Supplies: Paper cups, (opt. fun foam), glue, colored tissue paper or metallic part streamers, string, paper punch (cut the bottom off paper cup prior to giving to kids)
Directions: Kids can color and decorate paper cup how ever they wish (Or cover the paper cup with fun foam), and then glue (or staple) strips of different colored tissue paper (or metallic streamers) to the inside rim of a paper cup. Have children punch two holes in the top of cup one across from another (may need help) tie the ends of the string in the holes to hang it from.

Dramatic Play

Provide the children with raincoats and rubber boots and small child sized umbrellas in the dramatic play area.

Music & Movement

Parachute Weather: Use a parachute or large sheet, have the children shake the parachute like it is a stormy day, a calm breezy day, a rain storm, a sunny day, etc.

Lynn Kleiner has loads of great weather songs to do with the kids. Check out her CD and activity book! We love The Ship Goes Sailing on the Sea

Play some nature inspired music Like Sounds of Nature Rain Storms and have the children dance to it with scarves or play rain sticks along with it.

Science & Discovery

Tornado Bottles: Make tornado bottles with the tornado connector. The kids can explore how a tornado works and is formed.

Rain Maker!
You need:
a double-boiler (or one large and one small pot and a small can)
What you do:
Stack the small pot on top of a can in a slightly larger pot or use a double boiler. Boil water in the bottom section. Then place cold water and ice cubes in the upper pot, and place the pot over the boiling water.
What happens?
You see rain!
Why?
The cold surface of the upper pot cools the steam from the boiling water. The steam changes back into water in the form of drops and when they are heavy enough it rains! The boiling water is like the water heated by the sun. The steam is like the water that evaporated. As it rises it cools and forms droplets we see as clouds. As the droplets collect more moisture, they become heavy and fall as rain.
***Simple Weather Experiments With Everyday Materials , Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York

Make Your Own Rainbow: You Need:
a glass of water, a sunny window, a sheet of white paper,
What to do:
Stand the water up in bright sunlight. Place the sheet of paper on the floor
What happens?
You see a rainbow.
Why?
You are separating the white light. The water in the glass makes the light rays change direction "refract". Each color bends differently which is why we can see them separately. It's the same with the rainbow in the sky. Water in the air causes the curved spectrum we see.
***Simple Weather Experiments With Everyday Materials , Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York 

Rainbow Rice:  Color rice for the discovery table.  Mix 1 lb. of rice with 1/3 cup of rubbing alcohol and food coloring in a plastic zip lock bag.  Spread out on a cookie sheet over night to dry.  make all 6 colors of the rainbow and mix together in the discovery table for a beautiful rainbow sensory experience.

Glitter Play Dough: Mix blue or silver glitter into some blue homemade play dough, it looks really neat like there is rain drops in the play dough.  

Cloud Dough:  Make cloud dough for the children to play with.  Discuss how it rains, a good activity to do after reading the book The Cloud Book by Tomie dePalo

Weather Listening:  Collect a few items a head of time to make some weather sounds.  A cookie sheet is good for thunder, a pie tine and rice is good for rain.  After reading the story Rain Song by Lezlie Evans have the children  close their eyes while you make some weather sounds.  Ask them to describe what type of weather they think it sounds like.  There do not have to be any right or wrong answers.  Don't forget to do some windy sounds, tornado sounds, and snow sounds (what does snow sound like?)  

Blocks & Building

Build Windmills- Hang some pictures of windmills or display books about windmills in the block are and invite the children to create their won windmills.

Puzzles, Games & Manipulatives

Computers

Cooking

Rainbow in a Cloud: Serve different colored Jello with whip cream...

Rainbow Colored Vanilla Wafers & Milk

Bulletin Boards

Other Resources