It's Raining, It's Pouring....

Spring has finally sprung and with it comes those ever-important April showers. Rain provides wonderful learning experiences even when you're on the inside looking out! Try these activities:

Approaches to Learning and Math Activities:

* Gather sets of clothing for different types of weather: snow boots, scarf, hat, mittens; raincoat, umbrella, rain boots; shorts, sandals, T-shirt. Ask children to sort them according to the weather. Talk about the importance of the clothing items for the weather type.

*Track the number of days that it rains or is sunny on a calendar. Count them. Talk about whether there have been more sunny or rainy days each week.

Early Learning Foundations: Language and Literacy: Receptive and Expressive Communication; Discoveries (Infants and Toddlers): Attention and Persistence; Curiosity and Problem Solving: Mathematics: Numbers and Operations, Patterns

Creative Activities:

* Make your own rain sticks. Gather paper towel or toilet paper rolls. Cover one end with fabric or heavy paper and tape around the fabric, securely sealing the end. Coil 3-4 pipe cleaners into snake shapes and drop into the tube. Pour a small amount of rice in the tube and cover up the other end with fabric or heavy paper, also securely taping around the tube to make sure no rice falls out.  Show children how to 

* Make rain pictures by asking children to color on paper with colored chalk. Show them how to gently sprinkle water onto their paper to mimic rain. Ask them to notice what happens to their picture. (Coffee filters work  

well too).  

* Sing a song or finger play about rain. Ask children to clap every time they hear the word "rain."

Early Learning Foundations: Discoveries (Infants and Toddlers): Attention and Persistence, Cause and Effect, Curiosity and Problem Solving; Creative Expression: Music, Movement and Dance, Visual Arts

Motor Activities:

* Puddle jump by making large construction paper "puddles" for each child. Ask children to jump on/off puddles with two feet, one foot. Tell them to hop around the puddle, walk around the puddle, jump over the puddle, etc.

* Use eye droppers to "splash" paint onto paper to make rain. Show children how to, first, dip the dropper into the paint to collect the paint and then how to drop the paint onto paper. OR...hang a large piece of paper onto a wall. Children can use eye droppers to drip paint at the top and watch it "rain" down the paper. Be sure to put rags underneath the paper to catch the extra paint.

Early Learning Foundations: Physical Development and Health: Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Health Awareness and Practice

Science Activities:

* Make your own rain (for older children). Boil a pot of water on the stove. Hold a flat tray of ice cubes above the hot water to create a steam cloud. Talk about what happens as the steam comes in contact with the colder air and condensation and water droplets begin to form.  

Early Learning Foundations: Approaches to Learning: Initiative and Curiosity; Language and Literacy: Expressive and Receptive Communication; Discoveries (Infant and Toddler): Attention and Persistence, Curiosity and Problem Solving, Cause and Effect; Science: Scientific Exploration, Scientific Inquiry, Scientific Knowledge-Earth and Sky

Books about rain:

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema

Come On, Rain! By Karen Hesse

Rain by Robert Kalan and Donald Crews

Down Comes the Rain by Franklyn Branley

Splish Splash by Josepha Sherman

Little Cloud by Eric Carle

Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin and John Archambault

Songs about Rain

Rain on the rooftops,

Rain on the trees.

Rain on the green grass,

But not on me!

Fun In the Rain

(to the tune of "Three Blind Mice")

Rain, rain, rain

Rain, rain, rain

Dribble, dribble, splash!

Dribble, dribble, splash!

Grab your boots, your coat, and hat,

Jump in a puddle and go kersplat!

Stomp about and become a drowned rat,

Rain, rain, rain

Rain, rain, rain.