During the day, the weather can change in dramatic ways, making it a perfect activity to include among daily activities for preschoolers. Clouds are constantly changing their shapes, and changes in wind direction can be observed. People often talk about the weather, and preschoolers need to acquire a suitable vocabulary so they can describe the sky and the temperature. Weather theme promotes thinking skills and encourages children to pose questions regarding how clouds are formed. Fun and engaging ways to answer these questions help preschoolers to develop an interest in science.
Involve different senses when you describe the weather. Ask preschoolers to listen to different sounds, such as the raindrops when they fall on an umbrella. Go outside and let them describe how the sun feels on their skin. Let them lick their finger and hold it up in the air to see which direction the wind comes from.
Observe the weather every morning. Prompt preschoolers to agree upon the weather. Use a weather chart and draw pictures describing the weather. Focus on deciding if it is sunny, cloudy, raining or snowing.Talk about the clothes and equipment you use on rainy days, such as umbrella and boots. Let children count the number of children wearing T-shirts or cardigans. Link the numbers to warm or cold weather.
Discuss clouds and talk about how the clouds affect the weather. Clouds float across the sky, and there are different types of clouds. Cumulus clouds looks like cotton balls, and Nimbostratus are dark clouds that often brings rain. There are clouds that are high up in the sky, and Cirrus clouds are thin and wispy.
Describe rain and snow. Clouds are made of billions of tiny water droplets, or ice crystals. It is cold among the clouds, and often the raindrop starts as snowflakes, but they melt as they fall toward the ground. It is snowing when the air layers close to the ground are cold.
Look at the color of the clouds. Most days the clouds are white, but sometimes they are black. Dark and grey clouds have lots of water drop, so little sunlight can penetrate them. Sometimes two dark clouds meet, creating thunder. Before the thunder, you can see lightning. Lightning looks like flashes of light. The sound of thunder can be loud cracks or low rumbles. The distance to the clouds determines which type of sound you hear..
Sing weather songs. Many songs suitable for preschools describe different types of weather, such as "Colors up in the Rainbow" and "Black Clouds." Talk about the songs, and show pictures and photos of rainbows and clouds.
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