Weather and Meteorology
- Children experience the weather every day. What do they know about the weather? What interests them? What questions do they have about weather? These storytimes and activities will pique their interest, encourage questions, and add to their knowledge about weather phenomenon.
- Storytimes on weather help build vocabulary and print motivation. Talk with caregivers about the importance of having fun with books.
- Storytimes on weather are also an ideal time to introduce beginning non-fiction.
Science Center -- Instead of offering a craft at the end of your toddler or preschool storytimes, try one of these ideas:
- Touch Table: Encourage children to explore temperature with cold, wet, and warm objects. In your science stations, include a bowl of ice, a bowl of water, and a warm sachet. (You can make a fancy sachet following these instructions, or you can make a simple one out of a pair of tube socks.) Make sure the sachet is warm, and not hot, before letting young children play with it. Make three pictures to put in the science station: a sun, a raincloud, and snow. Children and caregivers may match the different items with the picture of the weather it most closely represents. Encourage children and caregivers to discuss why they matched objects the way they did.
- Bubbles: Everybody loves bubbles! If you have an outdoor space, blow bubbles and allow the children to observe the movement of the bubbles in the wind and predict which way they will move. This can also be done indoors with a fan.
- *Calendar: Keep a record of the weather every day you meet for programming. Have symbols that the children can manipulate so they may have an active role in keeping this log. Talk to them about seasons and any patterns you may see in the weather--for example, "Its been sunny for 4 days. In the Summer, it is often sunny and warm."
Fun to Do Together
In Japan, children make a Teru Teru Bozu when it rains. Children hang them from a string in the window in the hopes that Teru Teru Bozu will make the rain go away and bring a sunny day tomorrow.
What You Need
Tissues or white napkins
Rubber Bands
Markers
String
What You Do
In Japan, children make a Teru Teru Bozu when it rains. Children hang them from a string in the window in the hopes that Teru Teru Bozu will make the rain go away and bring a sunny day tomorrow.
What You Need
Tissues or white napkins
Rubber Bands
Markers
String
What You Do
- Give each child/caregiver pair two pieces of tissue.
- Crumple one tissue up to make the head.
- Put the crumpled tissue in the center of the other one.
- Gather the tissue closely around the crumpled tissue. (It should resemble a ghost.)
- Use a rubber band to secure the outer tissue in place.
- Use markers to make a face.
- Tie a string around the Teru Teru Bozu's neck (or use a sewing needle and thread it through the head.) The next time it rains, children may put their Teru Teru Bozu in the window to see if it helps make the rain go away.
Take Home Activity: At Home Rain
What You Need
Used plastic water or soda bottle with top
Water
Plastic container to "rain" into (a food storage container works well)
Skewer, small nail, or something else to poke small holes with
What You Do
What You Need
Used plastic water or soda bottle with top
Water
Plastic container to "rain" into (a food storage container works well)
Skewer, small nail, or something else to poke small holes with
What You Do
- Before giving it to your child, poke some holes in the bottom of the water bottle using a small nail. Put the nail away before giving the bottle to your child. (Only poke holes in the bottom of the bottle, not up the sides as pictured.)
- Put the water bottle in the container with the poked holes touching the bottom of the container.
- Unscrew the top of the bottle and fill it with water. Some will leak out the bottom, but most will stay in the bottle. Do not fill completely full.
- Put the top on the bottle tightly.
- Flip the bottle over so the water doesn't leak out the holes. Show your child how they can make it rain by flipping the bottle over and letting the water drip out of the holes and into the container. They can make it rain harder by gently squeezing the bottle. Once they get the hang of it. They may make it rain on house plants, sidewalks, or anywhere else that's okay to get wet. This is a fun activity for the bathtub too!