This is usually a spring theme, so that it coincides with the thunder storms that come rolling through. Even if you have some kids afraid of the thunder, there are some songs and fingerplays to help the children relieve those fears and still have fun.
Art Activities
Books
Songs/Fingerplays
Center/Misc Ideas
Umbrellas With Blue Glue Drops
Add some blue paint to some glue in an almost empty glue bottle. Then after the children have decorated their umbrellas, let them use the blue glue to put raindrops on them.
We Play On A Rainy Day
Who Likes Rain?
PITTER PATTER RAINDROPS
Tune:Sing A Song OF Sixpence
Pitter patter raindrops
Falling from the sky.
Here is my umbrella,
To keep me safe and dry.
When the rain is over,
The sun begins to glow.
Little flowers start to bud,
And grow and grow and grow.
Weather Wheel
Divide a circle of cardstock with each wedge having a picture of a different type of weather, sunny, cloudy, foggy, raining, and snowing. Then you can attach an arrow with a brad in the center so that the arrow can point to what the weather is like that day.
Dressing Appropriately For The Weather
You can also bring in different types of clothes, or items each day requires, like sunscreen and sunglasses and hat, vs. rainboots and umbrella, or scarves and gloves. Then either call out a type of weather and have the children pick out an item or let them sort each item into a container/box labeled for each type of weather.
Rain Drops
You can glue on tissue paper to the big rain drop pattern or use water colors or chalk.
Let It Rain
Just A Thunderstorm
RAIN, RAIN FALLING DOWN
Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Rain, rain falling down,
Landing all around.
What a wet puddle you'll make,
Splashing on the ground.
THUNDER CRASHES
Lightning flashes. (Fingers zig zag)
Thunder crashes! (Clap Hands)
Rain makes puddles, (Falling rain fingers)
So I can make splashes. (Feet splashing)
Making It Rain
Put some soil with or without grass or seeds, in a ziplock and add a little over tablespoon of water to just the soil, and hang it in a sunny window. Watch as the water condenses on the bag and drips down and use this to help explain why it rains.
Sponge Paint Clouds
Sponge white paint over a paper to make clouds. You can add q-tip raindrops to the bottom half if you'd like a rainstorm.
String Paint Clouds
Let the child dip a piece of string in white paint with you pinching off excess as it comes out. Then let them place it on a paper that has been opened after folding in half. Have them close the paper and then rub over the top. Be careful as they pull the string out so that it doesn't swing on their clothes. When they open it up ask them them what they think their cloud looks like.
Little Cloud
It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Clouds
THE CLOUDS ARE PASSING BY
By Jean Warren
Tune:The Farmer In The Dell
The clouds are passing by.
The clouds are passing by.
Sometimes fast and sometimes slow,
The clouds are passing by.
Weather Cards
I laminated index cards depicting different types of weather and cloud formations outside. The children can then match the clouds on the cards to the clouds they see in the sky.
Windsocks
After decorating a piece of paper roll it into a tube and staple streamers from it. Add a string across the top to hang it.
Kites
We let them dot washable bingo markers on kites that had been folded and then we attached a tail with small bits of streamer tied to it and the string to hang on to it with. They loved flying them around the room.
Clothes On Clothesline
You can use clothes patterns from cut out dolls and fold the tabs at the top over the string of the clothes line. The children had fun blowing them dry.
Amy Loves The Wind
And The Wind Blew
THE WIND IS BLOWING ALL AROUND
Tune: The Wheels On The Bus
The wind is blowing all around,
All around, all around.
The wind is blowing all around,
All through the town.
Verses:
Trees and leaves
Flags on poles
Clothes on lines
IF YOU FEEL THE BLUSTERY WIND
Tune: If You’re Happy And You Know It
If you feel the Blustery wind,
Whirl around
If you feel the Blustery wind,
Whirl around
If you feel it lifting up your hair,
Like a kite soaring in the air,
If you feel the Blustery wind,
Whirl around
Feathers On The Furnace
We gave each child a feather and let them place it on our furnace, watching their delight to see the feather hover a couple of feet in the air.
Handprint Sunshines
Paint with a child's hands in a circle with the palms overlapping to make a bright sunshine.
You Are My Sunshine
Cloudy Day, Sunny Day
Weather Words And What They Mean
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
Tune: You Are My Sunsine
You are my sunshine.
My only sunshine,
You make me happy,
When skies are grey.
You'll never know dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
Solar Energy
Fill several ziplocks with water. Wrap one in white paper, one in orange paper, one in black paper, and the last in aluminum foil. Have the children predict which bag of water will be the hottest after sitting in the sun. After a couple of hours, check the results. Follow up with discussion of solar panels to charge batteries and to help heat houses.