Weather

Books

Ages 4- 8

  • Gilberto and the Wind by Marie Hall Ets, 1978, PBA
  • Kicks Up a Storm: A Book About Weather (Magic School Bus) by Nancy
  • White
  • Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
  • Clouds by Marion Dane Bauer
  • The Rainy Day Grump by Deborah Eaton

    • Activities

    Pinwheel

    Materials: square paper, crayons, markers, paint, glitter, stickers, scissors, tape, pushpin/ thumbtack, unsharpened pencil w/ eraser, glue

  • Decorate both sides of paper
  • Mark center of square. Cut from each corner toward the center, stopping one inch from the center.
  • Fold every other point toward the center and tape down the points.
  • Poke a pushpin/ thumbtack through the center. Push it into the side of the eraser.

    • Finger Play: Tumbleweeds

  • Tumbleweeds are big and round. Make a large circle with your arms.
  • They tumble gaily on the ground. Make a rolling motion w/ both hands.
  • They spin and whirl, bounce and hop. Continue rolling hands while jumping up and down.
  • But when they hit a fence, they stop! Stop jumping and strike the palm of your hand with your fist.

    • Bubbles

    Materials: 2 c warm water, 1 c liquid dish detergent, ¼ c glycerine, 1 tsp sugar, unbreakable household objects (funnels, straws, plastic 6-pack connectors)

  • Mix water, detergent, glycerine, and sugar
  • Dip objects in bubble solution and blow through them or wave them

    • Brushed Flower Picture, PBA

    Materials: scissors, heavy paper, construction paper, colored chalk or pastels, facial tissue, nontoxic hair spray.

  • Cut several blossom shapes (at least 3 in wide) from heavy paper.
  • Place one shape on construction paper and trace it with chalk or pastel.
  • Gently brush the chalk/ pastel line with a tissue to blur it a bit.
  • Continue tracing and brushing flowers until the picture is finished.
  • Spray the picture with hair spray to fix the chalk and give it a flowery scent.

    • Rainstick, (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/music/rainstick/)

    Materials: paper towel tube; aluminum foil; small dried beans or unpopped popcorn or dry rice; brown construction paper; glue or stapler; scissors; markers or crayons.

  • Trace a circle the size of the end of a tube on to paper, then make a bigger circle around that one. Draw spokes (like on a bicycle wheel) from the outer circle to the inner one. Cut along the spokes.
  • Fold the spokes up and glue the cap you have made on to one end of the tube or staple it on.
  • Cut a piece of foil 1 ½ times the length of tube and 6 in wide.
  • Crunch foil into long, snakelike shapes and then twist those shapes into springs. Put the springs in the tube.
  • Pour in beans or rice or popcorn until the tube is about 1/10 full.
  • Make another cap and cap your tube. Decorate it if you wish.

    • Snacks

    Sailboat Snack Recipe (http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/creativesnacks/l/blsboatrec1.htm)

    Ingredients: celery stick, peanut butter, toothpick, fruit roll ups, scissors/ knife.

  • Cut a 3- 4 in section of celery and spread peanut butter in the groove.
  • Cut a triangle (“sail”) from the fruit roll up snack and skewer it with a toothpick. Stick the toothpick through the bottom of the triangle, slide the triangle down the toothpick and then bring the toothpick through the other side at the topmost point of the triangle.
  • Stick the toothpick in the celery and you have a sailboat ready for that windy springtime weather.

    • Pinwheel Sandwich, (http://www.prekinders.com/kidrecipes.htm)

    Ingredients: jam, bread, knife, banana, paper plates.

  • Spread jam onto a slice of bread and cut the slice into four triangles.
  • Arrange the triangles in a pinwheel shape with a round banana slice in the center.

    • Graham Cracker Kites (http://www.fastq.com/~jbpratt/education/theme/alphabet/abcsnacking.html)

    Ingredients: frosting, graham crackers, shoestring licorice, sprinkles or chocolate chips, etc., knife for spreading

  • Frost half of a cracker and turn it to look like a diamond.
  • Press red string licorice into frosting at tip of diamond for a tail.
  • Decorate kite using sprinkles, chips, etc.

    • Umbrella Cookies, (www.fastq.com/~jbpratt/education/theme/alphabet/abcsnacking.html)

    Ingredients: pre-prepared sugar cookies, knife, frosting, shoestring licorice, pretzel sticks, and sprinkles and/or chocolate chips.

  • Cut cookie in half and decorate it with frosting.
  • Add in lines of umbrella with licorice and decorate surface with sprinkles and/or chips.
  • Press in pretzel to frosting for a handle on the bottom of the umbrella.

    • Whipped-Creamy Clouds, (www.preschooleducation.com/cweather.shtml)

    Ingredients: wax paper, spoon, nondairy whipped topping.

  • Provide each child with wax paper and a spoon. Serve each child a large spoonful of whipped topping on their wax paper.
  • Let each child create a cloud shape.
  • Freeze it and then serve.

    • Pudding in a Cloud, (http://www.preschooleducation.com/cweather.shtml)

    Ingredients: whipped cream, pudding, bowls, spoons.

  • Put whipped cream around the sides and bottom of a bowl.
  • Add pudding in the middle and serve.