Ideas from childfun list and various other resources.


I use the whole month of March as a weather awareness month using the saying "In like a lion, out like a Lamb",  At calendar time we decide if it is a  "lion" day (snowy, rainy, cold) or a "lamb day" (mild, sunny).  A lively discussion ensues. The "weather person" makes the final decision and we abide by it. He chooses a lion or a lamb to place on the calendar instead of the usual numbers. Then we count each day to see if the lions or the lambs are winning. The saying is usually correct.

On windy days, I take plastic shopping bags, string and crepe paper outside.  The children are encouraged to make their own kites and to fly them around. 

I also encourage children to find seeds and leaves that we can toss from the top of our playground to see which ones "float" on the breeze.

Bear Loves Weather
by Janelle Cherrington

Songs:

I'm a Little Rain Cloud (tune: I'm a little teapot)
I'm a little rain cloud fat and round
When it thunders I make this sound.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Rolling around.
Splash! The rain comes tumbling down.

Oh My, What Will the Weather Be?
(tune: Oh dear, what can the matter be?)
Oh my, what will the weather be?
Oh my, what will the weather be?
Oh my, what will the weather be?
It will be (rainy, cloudy, sunny, snowy, windy.. ) today.

ART:

**MAKE A RAIN BOOKLET - Cover has an umbrella on it and titled "This is the Rain". The first page has clouds, a sun and these words: These are the clouds, all puffy and gray, that block out the sun on a cool spring day. The next page has a farm and a large building on opposite side of the sheet with these words: These are the raindrops falling from clouds on country farms and on city crowds.

The next page has flowers and these words: This is the rain that keeps falling down, watering flowers all over the town.

The next page has a rainbow, sun and these words: this is the rainbow that comes when the sun shines in the sky when the rain is all done.

The last page can have a smiley face on it and these words: So, when it's raining and your feeling bad, think about rain and be happy, not sad. rain's good for gardens and for people too. the sun will come out when the rain is all through. This was taken from a Weekly Reader magazine.

**White chalk / white paint experiences.
**Mixing white with other colors.
**Reverse stencils (when lifted away leave a white image).
**Snowy day or frosty day pictures.
**Snowflake stencils (using a green pepper stamp).
**Animal tracks.
**Diamond shape (made from two triangles).
**Wet sand molds.
**Bird feeders (continued from the fall, hopefully).
**Ice molds.
**Whipped ivory for art/ shaving cream.
**MAKE WINDSOCKS
**MAKE A TORNADO IN A BOTTLE
**MAKE A PINWHEEL
**BLOW PAINT USING STRAWS
**RAIN PAINT - sprinkle dry tempra on paper and take outside in the rain.

MUSIC:
**Rain Rain go Away while moving like ring around the rosie.
**Skating music - dancing with streamers.
**Frosty the Snowman.
**Do a rain dance complete with dress garb and music and pics from tribes.
**Water Cycle (tune of "It's Raining, It's Pouring") It's raining,
it's pouring,
The oceans are storing
Water from the falling rain
While thunderclouds are roaring.
The rain now is stopping,
The rain's no longer dropping.
Sun comes out and soaks up water
Like a mop that's mopping.
The water's still there now,
But hidden in the air now.
In the clouds it makes a home
Until there's rain to share now.
It's raining, it's pouring... (Meish Goldish)

**Weather songs (It's Raining, It's Pouring; Here comes the Sun, Jack Frost, etc.).
**Jingle Bells-Sleigh Ride.
**Finger Symbols and Auto harp (oriental holiday music)
**Sing: Rain, rain go away We made up another version of this song:
Rain, rain don't go away, Freddie frog wants to play, He'll play and play in the rain all day, rain, rain don't go away.

Think of other animals that like the rain.

**BALLOON DANCING - Blow up balloons and attach crepe paper and add music. You can do this indoors as well as outdoors
and see how the wind affects the balloons.

SCIENCE:
**show pictures and discuss the difference between how people in the different "rainy" areas live. Junk's (several Asian countries), stilt houses (Bali, Indonesia), people in the Amazon (I have no idea what type of home they have!) etc.

**Weather instruments - thermometers, weather vanes and rain gauges.

* Note: (for pre-toddlers even a bowl filling up with rain outside is a rain measurer).

**Icebergs in water tables (changing shape, affecting temperature, % above and below water).

**Melting ice in a bowl changing shapes - re-freezing ice (how long it takes, how it happens).

**Various animal coverings - what animals wear to keep warm (fur, feathers, hair, etc.) and how it has changed for the winter.

**Frost - walking in it, collecting it, making your own on the windows.

**Winter foods - special things we eat in this season.

**Winter foods as stored (when is it hidden?) and used by animals.

**Warm water play vs cold water play (with ice?).

**Cooking winter foods - squash - soups - stew, etc., warm apple juice - warm applesauce -heated fruits.

**Temperature: Students learn to use a thermometer through daily temperature readings. They will also discover the effects of climate on clothing.

**Weather feely bags - with ear muffs, mittens, ice scrapers, ice cubes, snowballs, etc.

**Water Cycle to Precipitation:

Students learn the steps of the water cycle and will observe it in action through a model. They will discover what materials absorb and repel water, as well as see the effects of rain on art creations.

**Clouds: Students will learn the different types of clouds and what kinds of weather each produces. By observing the formation of a cloud, they will better understand what it is made of and how it is made.

**Air Pressure/Wind: Students learn to use a barometer through daily readings. They will observe the movement patterns of air pressure and wind and realize the effects on weather changes.

**"Wild Weather"/Storms: Students will learn the relationship between thunder and lightning. They will also discuss the effect of such natural disasters on communities.

**Cloud in a bottle Materials cold water glass bottle with screw cap matches scissors drinking straw modeling clay chart paper and markers

Procedures

1.Prepare the bottle beforehand. Make a hole in the bottle cap, push the straw through the hole and seal it in place with clay.

2.Gather the students in a large circle, so that everyone can see the teacher performing the experiment.

Begin to question the students, "how do clouds form?"
Ask if they have every seen a cloud up close. Tell them that you can make a cloud appear in a bottle. Tell them, as the class scientists, it is their responsibility to make observations of what happens.

3.Pour a little cold water into the bottle and swish it around. Pour out the remaining water into a nearby tub. Light a match, blow it out, then hold the smoking match in the neck of the bottle so that the smoke is drawn inside. Quickly twist the cap onto the bottle and blow into the straw as hard as you can. Stop blowing and pinch the straw so no air can escape. Let go of the straw.

4.Right before the teacher lets go of the straw, remind students to watch closely and make observations, shared orally with the class, of what they see.

Repeat the procedure with other bottles.

5.Begin a discussion with the students of what happened during the procedures. What did you see? What does it remind you of? What did the cloud look like? Is it different from a cloud in the sky? How? What happened when the straw was not pinched, and released?

6.Put the bottles and materials aside and get out the chart paper and markers. Ask the students the same questions as during the formation of the cloud and discuss the various answers. Record every response on the chart paper, and clarify as necessary. Invite volunteers to sketch out or draw what they might have seen on the chalkboard. Encourage all students to make detailed descriptions of what they observed or what their classmates have drawn.

7.Leave the students with the questions of where did the cloud come from and how/why did it form? Although the class may not come to any answers, use their thoughts for further study on clouds, air pressure, and water vapor in the weather unit. Post the students  observations somewhere in the room to refer back to throughout the unit.

**Make a rainbow indoors as an example of how one is made in nature. Fill a glass pan with water, and place a mirror in the water so it leans against the edge of the pan. Completely darken the room and shine a flashlight on the mirror. Adjust the angle of the light until a rainbow is reflected on a wall or the ceiling. Ask students what the order of the colors are and if they have certain feelings about each color. Keep a written form of the order of the rainbow colours inthe room for the students to refer to later.

1.Place a glass dish, partially filled with water, on the screen of an overhead projector. Pour 1/4 cup of cooking oil into the dish and a few drops of red food coloring. (The food coloring will stay on top of the oil creating an interesting and colorful design.)

2.Have students think about how the colour makes them feel or what it reminds them of, then write down their ideas on writing paper. They should categorise this writing under RED.

3.Change the colours, in the order of the rainbow, adding food colouring or changing the water as necessary. Have students do the same for each colour. Allow time for the students to write freely and get all their ideas from the visual display. You may only be able to do a few colours in one writer's workshop. Continue the following days until all the colours of the rainbow are shown. Students may need to start a new color, but reassure them that they will have time to go back to
any colors they have not finished writing about. The visual display is only to stimulate their feelings and get them interested in writing.

4.Continue the writer's workshop, with peer editors and teacher conferences to correct spelling and grammar. The students may also need to narrow down or expand their ideas.

5.After writing has been checked, give each student a "rainbow book". They should think of how they are going to illustrate their books and rainbow feelings they have written. For example, if a student described a color as something else that is familiar to them, they may choose to draw that on the coloured page. Then using different art mediums, the student should think of a way to present their writing for each colour. Encourage them to use their creativity and imagination. Final drafts should be transferred into the writing pages of the book.

6.Let each student share their books of writing and artistic work during "author's chair."


 **"Wind Machines." Each child inserted a straw into a zip lock bag and closed the bag. When they blew into the straw the bag blew up. They went around the room finding items that their "wind power" could lift and placed these objects on top of the bag and blew. Some items worked and some were too heavy. They traced each object into a "will lift" or "will not lift" column.

**Collect raindrops through 2 different containers...1 with no cover, 1 with paper filter like coffee filter covering it.  Show the dirtiness of the air and how the rain filters it...and why we shouldn't drink the rain drops until it is boiled or cleaned.

**game you could either tape record different sounds of rain and identify various kinds of rain: drizzling, sprinkling, pouring, misting, raining, thundering, lightening, etc LANGUAGE:

**Bring all the "accoutrements" for a rainy day... galoshes, rain coat, umbrella, and have one kid get "dressed" as you explain the need for each item. This can also be used to dress a bear or a doll.

**Seasonal clothes flannel board stories.

**Eskimo folk tales.

**Stories about animals that live in the Arctic or Antarctic.

**Vocabulary words about weather: Snow, sleet, hail, ice, frost, mist, fog.

**Vocabulary words about colors affected by white - light, lighter, lightest.

**THE RAIN Pitter-patter raindrops, falling from the sky. here is my umbrella To keep me safe and dry. When the rain is over And the sun begins to glow, Little flowers start to bud And grow & grow & grow.

**Little Raindrop
This is the sun, high up in the sky. A dark cloud suddenly comes sailing by. These are the raindrops, Pitter, pattering down. Watering the flower seeds That grow under the ground.

**Raindrops Raindrops are such funny things. They haven't feet or haven't wings. Yet they sail through the air With the greatest of ease, And dance on the street Wherever they please.

**Let's Count the Raindrops Let's count the raindrops as they pour: one million, two million, three million, four. (Alan Benjamin)

**Rain Rain
Rain rain falls on the street, mud in puddles cleaning my feet. Thunder thunder rumble and roar, close the windows and lock the door. Clouds clouds black and gray, heavy with water to drop all day. Sun sun is breaking through, clouds are moving, the rain stops too. Rainbow rainbow across the sky, see-through colours to tickle my eyes.

**UMBRELLA FUN
Umbrellas are fro make-believe The one I have is red. I twirl it upside down and it's a carousel instead. I use it for a parachute (I don't jump very far.) Or else I walk a tightrope On the shadow of a bar I think it must be magic, too. My mother was upset the day it vanished in the rain And I got soaking wet.

**Books: 

Crash, Rumble, and Roll. New York: Thomas
Y. Crowell, 1985. Hurricane Watch. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1985. Rain & Hail. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1983.

DePaola, Tomie. The Cloud Book. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1975. Davis, Hubert. A January Fog Will Freeze a Hog. New
York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1977.

**MAKE UMBRELLA SHAPES
AND ASK CHILDREN "If you could go out and play in the rain, what would you like to do?". Write it on the umbrella and put on display in your classroom.

To demonstrate the relationship between thunder and lightning, recreate the scene in the classroom. Explain that thunder is the sound given off by lightning. Have one student stand by the classroom light switches and turn them on and off to represent a bolt of lightning. At the same time, trap a giant breath of air inside a paper lunch bag, hold the top, and hit the bottom of the air-filled bag to sound a BOOM! Repeat the demonstration several times. Have the remaining students count the seconds between the "lightning bolt" and the boom of "thunder" with tallies on a piece of paper (one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three...). Group the number of seconds into groups of five. This number is how many miles away the lightning struck. Explain how thunder and lightning occur at the same time, but light travels much faster than sound. As a class determine how far away the lightning struck.

Writer's workshop -- Read to the students Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Model writing for the students of what food they would love to fall from the sky. Talk about the problems that would occur in the town if certain foods fell. Have students write about how their community would work together if such weather occurred. Include weather forecasting words and style. Add illustrations of the weather in food terms or a map of the weather forecast with food symbols.

**Play: act out the different sounds and have everyone guess what they are...lightly tapping for drizzle, clapping hands hard for thundering.

**It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw (Flannel board can be down with this story, too) writing paper and pencil portable writing boards (hard surface for the students to write on) 9" x 12" sheets of blue construction paper for each student 9" x 12" sheets of white construction paper for each student a cumulus cloudy day! Procedures

1.Gather the students together for an oral story. Read to them It Looked Like Spilt Milk.
2.Tell the students that they are going to go on their own "cloud search" outside. Encourage them to use their imagination and creativity as they look at the real clouds outside. Tell them to look at a variety of clouds, keeping notes on the different shapes they find. Encourage them to even make rough sketches of the cloud so they do not forget what they saw.

3.As weather permits, and hopefully it will be a perfect "cloud search" day, take the children outside. Allow them to move around freely and even lay down on the ground to look up at the sky. Let them discuss with their classmates the different things they see. Join in with them in the experience, taking your own notes to model for them. Keep an eye on the class and rotate around to all of the students.

4.After coming inside, gather the students as a whole again. Let students share some of the different shapes that they found. Encourage students to share different cloud shapes so as to get a variety of pages to the book. Some students may have seen animals, flowers, cars, people, etc. -- anything is possible!

5.Have students begin with the art pages, as the images are fresh in their minds. Give each student a sheet of blue and white construction paper. Have the children tear the white sheet into the shape of the object that they saw outside. Then, they will glue it in the center of the blue sheet of construction paper.

6.Review with the students what was written in the story. Have them model the sentence with what they saw and write it down. [Sometimes it looked like... But it wasn't... ]

7.At computer lab time, the students will type their sentences and change the font/size to their liking. Students should work in assigned pairs -- ones who more experienced with word processing with those who need some assistance.

8.Tell the students you will assemble their pages into a class book. Glue each student's writing to their art page. Laminate pages and bind together. Add a title page, copyright date, dedication, and final page "But it was just a cloud in the sky." Also, each class book has empty pages at the end for parents to write their comments after reading it with their child.

9.Show the students their finished class book and begin to send home with the students to share with their families.

Evaluation of Student Learning

1.Listen to student observations of clouds as you walk around with them outside. What comments do they make with their classmates? Are they looking at shapes creatively and with imagination? Are they keeping track of what they see on their writing paper?

2.Observe students as they create their art pages. Does their torn shape resemble what cloud shape they chose to create? Observe students as they write their sentences. Do  they follow the model from the story?

Observe students as they word process at the computer.

**WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND? by Christina Rossetti Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you: But when the leaves hang trembling, the wind is passing through. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I: but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by.

**The Cloud Book by Tomie DePaola chalk and chalkboard
6" x 4' strips of blue construction paper or bulletin-board paper for each student cotton balls, cotton batting glue crayons and markers Procedures Anticipatory Set -- Earlier in the day, read the story to the whole class, pointing out the different picture of clouds in the book. Create interest in the students that they are going to make their own cloud books later on during the day. Also, add that whenever they are outside (recess), they should take a look at the clouds in the sky and which kind they look like.

1.Gather the children at the "carpet" area to discuss the book they read earlier that day. If necessary, read the story to the children a second time. Ask students if they remember any names of the different clouds or what kinds of clouds they noticed outdoors. Write them on the board.

2.Show the index at the back of the book. Explain the purpose and convenience of the index. Go back into the story, using the index, to concentrate on cloud names, descriptions, and what kind of weather follows that type of cloud. Have students say the names of the clouds with you.

3.Close the book and ask students to name and describe the different types of clouds they can remember. Using chalk on the board, sketch a rough symbol or description next to the name of the cloud. Encourage students to say the names with you, to reinforce the pronunciation.

4.Still in the large group, tell students they will be making their own cloud books. Show them how to fold the strip of blue paper into an accordion. Explain where they need to create a cover and their name (and copyright date). Next, give explanations of what they are going to do on each page: On the bottom half of each booklet page, name and write a description of a different type of cloud (out of the 10 names in the book, they should make a page for 6 different clouds). On the top half of the page, create a picture of the different clouds using cotton, glue, and crayons/markers. Show students how to pull the cotton to get the effect they desire.

5.Emphasize that students have to write the names and descriptions in the book first, so that you can go around and check understanding, before they glue down the cotton pictures. [Have students write first in pencil, then give them an opportunity to use a pen or special thin marker to go over their written work.]

6.Have all materials at their table groups to share, as they go to their desks to work on their cloud book.

Evaluation of Student Learning

1.Listen to student responses as they give different names and descriptions of clouds. Are they able to recall the names on their own, after going through the index of the story? Do the descriptions match the name of the cloud?

2.Look at and review the names and descriptions they write in their cloud books. Do their cotton pictures correspond with the correct name and description? Have they depicted the cloud type creatively and made it resemble the descriptions in the story?

MOTOR:
**build a shelter from the rain...add gutters that you made in the wood working class.

**Dress Up: Winter clothes

**Living in a Cave (put a tarp over the housekeeping area, use sleeping bags).
**Skating parties - Ice fishing - Sleigh rides

**Snow shoes, sleds, slipping and sliding.

**Follow animal tracks, or make tracks of your own.
**Frosty breathing, frosty breath running.
**Exercise classes.
**Fox and geese game.
**Outdoor dramatic play in coats.
**Paper snowball throwing.
**Snack outdoors in winter camping.
**Indoor basketball.
**Nature walks - compare bare trees to evergreens.
**What IS growing now?

**Read the poem "Who Has Seen the Wind?" and then look
outside or go outside.  Ask: Can you see the wind? What direction is the wind blowing? When outside do these activities: Run with the wind. Run into the wind. Which is easier? Run faster than the wind. slower. Skip with the wind. Jump. Hop. Stand still and move your arms like the wind. Twirl and whirl like the wind. Wet a finger and hold it up in the air. What do you feel? Provide streamers to run with and balloons to chase. Blow bubbles. Which way do they go?

**TAKE A RAINY DAY WALK - Take advantage of a gentle rain to explore water flow, puddles and the sound of rain.

**Blocks: Making caves - for hibernating animals for shelter. Making snow forts - (as best as they are understood by your age group). Making winter homes for animals - stables, barns, insulated homes. Recreation places - skating rink - hills for sledding or skiing. Roads and the winter equipment - plows, scrapers, sand spreaders, etc. Weather stations and their equipment.

WOODWORKING:

**Make balsa wood boats and have a rain gutter race! you need a piece of gutter with both ends closed so it will hold water... make your boat (a toothpick/skewer for a mast and paper sail) and then use a straw to "blow" the boat down the gutter. time each child or have 2 gutters and have them race each other.

**make a rain gauge that will collect water or make a gutter by carving out the wood

SNACK:
**Several food stuffs grow "only" in a rainy environment... rice comes to mind, and it is easy to find and fix!

MATH:
**Graphing daily temperatures.

**Build a rain gauge by cutting off the top third of the plastic bottle and inverting the top inside the bottom to form a funnel. Use a permanent marker to record inches on the side of the bottle. -Explain that people who report on the weather need to know how much it rains each day. introduce your rain gauge and have children brainstorm ways the class can use the tool to learn about rainfall.
 -Demonstrate how a rain gauge works: Set the gauge in a pan and use a watering can to simulate a rainstorm over the pan. After the "storm", have a child study the rain gauge and report on the rainfall. Ask Did all the rain fall into the gauge? How will the rain gauge help gather information about the weather? Empty the gauge and vary the demonstration so that the children can report on a light rain, a heavy rain, and a day with no rain at all.

**Weather graph: Make a strip graph. Take poster board and cut it in half long ways (Hot dog). Take  pictures and place the on the graph for each type of weather you have. (rain, sun, windy, partly cloudy, cloudy, snow...) Make holes under each one. (Make sure the are close to the edge) Each day take a link and add it to the graph on the kind of weather you have. Your kiddos can really see what kind of weather you have day to day. You can also pattern with the links. (Weather calendar can be done same as above.)

**"Weather Happenings"
(see included description of math game) daily weather forecasting -- Create a mock television set (with a large cardboard box cut into a t.v. screen) for the students to stand behind each morning and "forecast" the weather. Provide laminated weather symbols the students can use during their talk of the day's weather. unit activity -- 

Discuss all the ways that weather can be forecasted or delivered to all people (television, radio, telephone, newspaper). Provide an example of each for the students to see or listen to. Graph which method their families use the most. Discuss the ways that weather used to be forecasted in the past. community building -- Teach the students the following chant. May be a good review for homonyms and a method to get the students' attention (similar to turning off the lights). Whether the weather is hot. Whether the weather is cold. We'll be together, whatever the weather Whether we like it or not!

Community building -- Create a "rainstorm" with the students. Show the students the four different sounds they can make with their bodies: first -- rubbing their palms together; second -- light applauding with two fingers on each

Song: ( tune: Clementine...Oh my Darling)
What's the weather, what's the weather?
What's the weather like today?
Is it sunny? is it cloudy? is it raining out today?
( you can insert whatever weather words you
choose...snowy, cold, etc..)

Come and show us, come and show us
what the weather is today.
Can you show us please (child's name) what the weather is today!

I use a weather wheel for the children to show what the weather is.

VIDEO TO VIEW - - "Which Way Weather?"  By Bo Peep Productions (Found at my local library)  Shows preschoolers enjoying various weather conditions.  Set to fun music - - no narration.  Wonderful.

BOOKS TO READ - -
"Thunder cake"  by Patricia Polacco  (making thunder cakes with Grandma drive away fears of storms.  Recipe for thunder cake included!)

"Can You See the Wind?"  by Allan Fowler
"What Do You See in a Cloud?"  by Allan Fowler
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"  by Judi Barrett
"Weather & Seasons"  by Lynn Cohen  (weather experiments for ages 4-7)

THERMOMETER - - Help child identify parts of the thermometer
*numbers
*measuring lines
*clear tube
*red liquid
*Fahrenheit symbol

Make a drawing of a thermometer on paper and make several copies for the child to chart the temperature for several days. Lay the real outdoor thermometer flat on the table.  Help him find the spot where the red liquid ends.  Ask "What number is the top of the red liquid closest to? or  What numbers did the red liquid stop near?"  Let him place his thumb on the ball at the bottom of the thermometer for a few moments and watch what happens.  Ask "What is happening to the red liquid?" USING A SMALL CONTAINER, 1st place hot water in the container.  Let the child feel the water.  Ask "What do you think will happen to the red liquid if we put the thermometer in the hot water?  Will the red liquid go up, go down, or stay where it is right now?"  Place the thermometer in the hot water and watch what happens.  After a few moments, help your child read the temperature.  NEXT, fill the container with cold water and ice.  Have your child carefully feel the water.  Ask "What do you think will happen this time?"  Have your child place the thermometer in the can and observe and read the temp.  AFTER exploring how the thermometer works, take it outside and hand it in a shady spot that will be eye level for the child.  Read the temp daily and record on the paper thermometers using red marker.