Your grade school / elementary age children have a natural curiosity about the weather, so why not spend some time teaching them about it? It’s especially helpful if you create an activity that is heavy in visual excitement. One idea that fits the description: Having the kids create their own weather chart.
To do this, you’ll collect materials that are found in the classroom or around most homes. For the background, use a regular sized piece of paper. Although construction paper is usable, as is also something with a border, even plain white printer paper will be fine. What will truly create the visual excitement will be the elements that you’ll put on it: things such as small suns, snowflakes or raindrops, clouds, etc. On each of the following steps, have the kids add the creative items.
To create the sun, on a separate piece of paper, draw a sun. You should either use yellow construction paper for this, or if you only have the white, then make sure you color in your sun brightly with yellow marker or crayon. Adding a smiley face inside is a cute extra touch. Beneath the picture, write “sunny.”
On a piece of blue paper, draw (or have the kids draw) a fluffy cloud. If you’re using plain white paper, then again, just color it blue with a marker or crayon. Beneath it, write “cloudy.” You could add a smiley face or maybe a straight mouth, neither happy nor sad, for him.
On another piece of paper, you and your kids should draw a second fluffy crowd, but draw a few raindrops below it. Write out “rainy” below the cloud, and this time, add a frowny face.
For a thunderstorm, draw yet a third cloud, this time coloring it gray. Below it should go lightning bolts. The face on the cloud should look angry.
For winter weather, on a white piece of paper, draw a snowman. Keep it simple: three tiny circles for eyes and mouth and a triangle for the nose. Put stick arms on it and a square hat. Beneath it, write “snowy.”
Now have someone, on a separate sheet of paper, draw a picture of your school. Take responsibility for getting letters to spell out “Our Weather.” The letters and picture should be stapled on a small bulletin board. This will be your permanent weather chart. All of the weather pieces should go in an envelope, placed near the chart, at the children’s level. After you’ve taught your lesson on weather, each day have one child change the weather chart for that day’s expected weather. Who knows? You just might inspire a future meteorologist!
For our Fun Weather Games, you can visit these pages:
http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/weather8.htm
http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/weatherbingo4.html