Fun with Weather in Pre-K

Unit Designed by Emma Yagaloff

Theme
This theme provides children with various authentic learning opportunities, as well as increased opportunities for
social engagement, language development, and confidence building through engagement with weather as
meteorologists and observers. This theme meets all six essential factors of theme development according to
Kostelnik et al. (2015). These essential factors are: relevance, hands-on activities, diversity and balance across
the curriculum, availability of primary and secondary resources and materials, and potential for projects. In
regards to relevance, children experience the weather as a significant part of their daily lives, and thus the
topic is one they are familiar with. The theme can also be extended to forecasting and preparing for different
types of weather, building life skills. This theme provides opportunities to question daily natural occurences,
observe the weather using all five senses, draw weather observations, etc. This theme allows for hands on
investigations with the weather occurring outside, as well as STEM lessons that involve creating clouds, building
structures, and making predictions in accordance with the scientific method. This theme is well balanced and
can be incorporated authentically into all curriculum areas. Finally, there are many resources available for this
theme. Children can engage with common weather attire, explore their outdoor areas, or create a meteorologist
dramatic play area through a combination of real and pretend elements. Additionally, there are many nonfiction
and fictional texts on weather that should be used to enrich the classroom. Overall, this theme meets all six
essential standards and provides ample opportunity for exploration and growth.
Activities
Art: 1. Rainbow process art on bubble wrap- Children create a rainbow design by rolling paint onto the
bubble wrap and then making a print with white paper.
• Content: colors (spectrum), materials, cause/effect, rainbows, gross motor skills
Art 2: Rain painting with watercolor shavings- Children sprinkle watercolor pencil shavings onto a paper
on a tray. Once it is raining, they bring the tray outside.
• Content: colors, materials, cause/effect, raindrop sizes, variation
Math 1: Counting Raindrops- Children use premade laminated sheets to create raindrops with play dough
and count with one-to-one correspondence.
• Content: number sense, one to one correspondence, patterns, fine motor skills
Math 2: Graph the weather- Children graph the weather on chart paper or a board by drawing
illustrations for the weather each day and sorting.
• Content: graphing, pattern/trend recognition, daily weather
Science 1: “W hat will the wind blow?”- Children predict/test what everyday objects will/will not be
blown by the wind.
• Content: comparisons, wind, weight, cause/effect
Science 2: Raincloud in a jar- Children create a raincloud in a jar and observe how once the cloud is full,
it bursts.
• Content: rainclouds, rain process, cause/effect, observation, prediction
Blocks 1: Storm Shelters- Children build structures to keep people safe during strong winds and severe
storms.
• Content: weather safety, engineering, fine/gross motor skills, cause/effect
Blocks 2: Flood Scenes- Children create flood scenes with emergency response workers, boats, ladders, and
placing people at high elevations
• Content: weather safety, community workers, fine/gross motor skills, cause/effect
Sensory 1: Play Snow- Children play with pretend snow in the sensory table. They can paint snow.
• Content: winter weather, temperature, fine motor skills
Sensory 2: Sky Themed Sensory Table- Sensory table mimics precipitation from the sky with strainer.
• Content: precipitation, weather preparation, wind, cause/effect
Music 1: “Look out the window” weather song: A weather song that can be used every morning to
discuss the daily weather, sung to the tune of “Frere Jacques”
 • Content: rhythm, daily weather, days of the week
Music 2: Rainstorm with body percussion: Children create the sounds of a thunderstorm/rainstorm by
tapping parts of their body and the ground.
• Content: rhythm, rainstorm/thunderstorm
W riting 1: Signs for meteorologist news station: Children create signs warning about storms, depicting
regular weather, and sharing about the news station
• Content: writing development, meteorology
W riting 2: Forecasting the weather: Children record the daily weather by accurately completing the
following sentence with a picture or word each day: “Today’s weather is ______.”
• Content: representations, daily weather, writing
Dramatic Play 1: W eather news station: Children actively partake in a weather news station with a
camera crew, a meteorologist station, and necessary props
• Content: language development, forecasting, preparatory action
Dramatic Play 2: Acting out The W ind Blew: Children act out the book The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins,
with props.
• Content: language, plot understanding, role taking
Outdoor Extension 1: Cloud watching: After reading It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw, children
go cloud watching with special cloud binoculars.
• Content: cloud shapes/sizes, different types of clouds, observation
Outdoor Extension 2: Loose Parts, W ater, and Mirrors: Children bring loose parts out with eyedroppers
to explore, observe, and create rainbows when sunlight shines through water.
• Content: rainbows, exploration, planning, predicting, observing, science tools
Literacy 1: Cloudette: Children listen to a read aloud of Cloudette by Tom Litchenheld.
• Content: cause/effect, importance of water, cloud sizes/shapes, why clouds important
Literacy 2: The Snowy Day: Children listen to a read aloud of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Resource List
Books Used/ Recommended
Fiction: Cloudette by Tom Litchenheld, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw,
The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins, Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Blumle, On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer,
Gilberto and the Wind by Marie Hall Ets.

Non-Fiction: Weather by National Geographic Kids, Thunder and Lightning by Weather Wise, Whatever the Weather by
Karen Wallace, Clouds by Katherine Hall, Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre

Book Area: Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel, Weather Words and What they Mean by Gail Gibbons, You are my
Sunshine by Jimmie Davis, Rain! by Linda Ashman, Little Cloud by Eric Carle, What will the Weather be Like Today? by
Paul Rogers, What the Weather? by Jennifer Cali, Tornadoes! by Gail Gibbons, Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee
Burton, Sun Bread by Eilsa Kleven

Websites used:
• https://teaching2and3yearolds.com/rainbow-process-art-with-toddlers/
• http://www.housingaforest.com/rain-painting/
• https://www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=305-
548&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.learning4kids.net%2F2015%2F10%2F20%2Fprintable-counting-raindrops-game-and-play-
dough-mats%2F&pin=80361174578405664&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDUxODI0MTA0NzEzNwA
• https://www.pinterest.com/offsite/?token=613157&url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F2f%2F54%2F05%2F2
f54057bead2e7f42cbbf9c516d491d1.jpg&pin=165718461273588055&client_tracking_params=CwABAAAADDI1OTE1NTc2MjM
wNQA
• http://bpsearlychildhood.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/1/3/10131776/owl_supp_unit3_wind_extended_curriculum.pdf
• https://thehappyhousewife.com/homeschool/summer-cloud-science/#_a5y_p=2121528
• http://www.preschooleducation.com/sweather.shtml
• http://bpsearlychildhood.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/1/3/10131776/owl_supp_unit3_wind_extended_curriculum.pdf
• https://buggyandbuddy.com/toilet-paper-roll-binoculars-craft-for-cloud-observation/