Weather Watchers: Exploring Sun, Clouds, Wind, and Rain

Materials Needed

• Paper and crayons or washable markers
• Four weather picture cards: sunny, cloudy, windy, and rainy
• A clear cup or jar
• Ice cubes and warm water
• Cotton balls
• A small piece of paper or ribbon for a wind streamer
• Optional: umbrella, raincoat, sunglasses, hat, or scarf
• Optional: short weather song or child-friendly weather video

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the child will be able to:

• Name at least four kinds of weather: sunny, cloudy, windy, and rainy.
• Describe what they see, hear, or feel outside using simple weather words.
• Match weather conditions with suitable clothing or activities.
• Show how clouds can form through a simple adult-led demonstration.
• Draw and explain a weather picture.

Success Criteria

I can:

• Point to or name different kinds of weather.
• Tell one thing I notice about today’s weather.
• Choose something to wear for a type of weather.
• Make a weather picture and talk about it.

Introduction: Look, Listen, and Wonder

Time: 5 minutes

Look out a window together, or step outside safely. Ask:

• “What do you see in the sky?”
• “Is the air warm or cool?”
• “Can you feel the wind?”
• “Do you hear rain, birds, or moving leaves?”

Say: “Today we are going to be weather watchers. Weather tells us what the air and sky are like. We will look, listen, feel, play, and make a weather picture.”

Quick check: Invite the child to choose a weather card that matches the weather today. Accept pointing, speaking, or using gestures.

Body: Learn About Weather

1. I Do: Show and Explain Weather Words

Time: 8 minutes

Show one weather card at a time. Use simple words and movements:

• Sunny: “The sun is shining. It may feel warm.” Make a big circle with your arms.
• Cloudy: “Clouds cover some or all of the sky.” Make a cloud shape with your hands.
• Windy: “Moving air is called wind. Wind can make leaves move.” Wave your hands from side to side.
• Rainy: “Water drops fall from clouds.” Wiggle your fingers downward like raindrops.

Model a sentence: “Today is sunny. I see the bright sun.”

Formative assessment: Hold up each card and ask, “What kind of weather is this?” The child may answer with words, sounds, gestures, or by matching an object.

2. We Do: Weather Movement Game

Time: 8 minutes

Place the weather cards on the floor. Say a weather word and do the matching movement together:

• Sunny: Stretch arms up like sunshine.
• Cloudy: Make a soft, round cloud shape with arms.
• Windy: Sway like a tree.
• Rainy: Tap fingers gently like falling raindrops.

Then let the child choose a card and lead the movement.

Ask:

• “What should our bodies do for windy weather?”
• “Which card shows rain?”
• “What weather movement do you like best?”

Transition: Say, “Our bodies showed us the weather. Now let’s use our hands to investigate the sky and wind.”

3. We Do: Weather Investigations

Time: 12 minutes

Investigation A: Make a Wind Streamer

1. Give the child a small strip of paper or ribbon.
2. Hold it outside or near a gentle breeze.
3. Ask the child to watch how it moves.
4. Walk slowly, then quickly, and compare the movement.

Say: “The moving air makes the streamer move. That moving air is wind.”

Investigation B: Watch a Cloud Form

Adult supervision is required.

1. Put a few ice cubes in a clear cup or jar.
2. Slowly pour in warm water. An adult should handle the warm water.
3. Watch the outside of the cup.
4. Notice the tiny drops that appear.

Explain: “Warm water makes water vapor in the air. When it meets the cold cup, it turns into tiny water drops. Clouds are made of tiny water drops or ice pieces in the sky.”

Use a simple comparison: “The cup is not making a real sky cloud, but it helps us see how tiny water drops can gather together.”

Questions:

• “What did you notice?”
• “Where did the tiny drops appear?”
• “What do you think a cloud feels like?”

4. You Do: Dress for the Weather

Time: 8 minutes

Place clothing or picture choices near the child. Name a weather type and invite the child to choose what someone might wear.

• Sunny: hat, sunglasses, light clothing
• Rainy: raincoat, boots, umbrella
• Windy: jacket or scarf
• Cloudy: clothing that matches whether the day feels warm or cool

Ask the child to explain the choice using a sentence frame:

“I would wear a _____ because it is _____.”

Offer choices and let the child pretend to go outside in the selected weather. For example, the child might open an imaginary umbrella or walk carefully through pretend puddles.

Real-world connection: Explain that people check the weather to decide what to wear, what to pack, and whether it is safe to play outside.

5. You Do: Create a Weather Picture

Time: 10 minutes

Invite the child to choose one type of weather and draw it. The child may draw:

• A sun, clouds, raindrops, wind lines, trees, people, or animals
• Clothing people might wear
• An activity that matches the weather

While the child works, ask:

• “What kind of weather are you drawing?”
• “What do you see in your picture?”
• “What would you wear outside?”
• “What could you do in this weather?”

Help the child dictate or copy a short caption:

“It is _____. I see _____.”

Conclusion: Weather Reporter Share

Time: 5 minutes

Invite the child to pretend to be a weather reporter. The child can hold the weather picture and say:

“Hello! Today the weather is _____. I see _____. I would wear _____. ”

Review the key ideas:

• “Sunny means the sun is shining.”
• “Cloudy means clouds are in the sky.”
• “Windy means air is moving.”
• “Rainy means water drops are falling from clouds.”

Ask the child to choose a favorite activity:

• “Which weather game did you like best?”
• “What is one new weather word you learned?”
• “What should we look for in the sky tomorrow?”

Assessment

Formative Assessment

• Observe whether the child matches weather cards correctly.
• Listen for the child using weather words during play.
• Ask the child to show a movement for each weather type.
• Check whether the child can describe one thing they see, hear, or feel outside.

Summative Assessment

The child completes a weather reporter share and demonstrates at least three of the following:

• Names or identifies one type of weather.
• Describes one weather feature.
• Chooses suitable clothing or an activity.
• Creates a weather picture.
• Uses a simple sentence about the weather.

Differentiation and Adaptations

For a Child Who Needs More Support

• Use only two weather cards at a time, such as sunny and rainy.
• Offer sentence choices: “Is it sunny or rainy?”
• Allow pointing, gestures, drawing, or movement instead of speaking.
• Use repeated songs, motions, and picture matching.
• Complete the weather picture together.

For a Child Ready for More Challenge

• Add snowy, stormy, hot, or cold weather cards.
• Keep a simple daily weather chart for one week.
• Ask the child to compare two days: “Today is warmer than yesterday.”
• Invite the child to design a weather tool, such as a wind spinner or rain gauge.
• Ask the child to explain why weather can change what people do.

Flexible Learning Options

• For indoor learning, use a window observation, weather cards, and pretend play.
• For outdoor learning, observe the sky, temperature, wind, and sounds safely.
• For digital learning, use a short weather song or record the child’s weather report.
• For a group setting, let children take turns being the weather reporter.
• For a training or care setting, connect weather to safety, clothing, travel, and outdoor plans.

Optional Follow-Up: Daily Weather Watch

For the next several days, ask the child to draw or place a weather symbol on a simple chart. At the end of the week, count how many days were sunny, cloudy, windy, or rainy.