As the Rain Pours Down the Learning Soars...
Water, rain, puddles, wetness...
This lens will give you dozens of ideas, resources, hints and tricks to create water-themed rainy activities for both homeschool families and classrooms.
There are endless possibilities to spark the interest of your wet little raindrops with this Watery Unit Study.
Paint your spelling words, count raindrops, learn poetry. There are ideas for learning centers and literacy bags. Get wet, get dry, go with the flow...
It's Raining Table of Contents
- Raindrop Math
- Paint Your Spelling Words with Rain Water
- Rainy Sight Words
- Who doesn't Love to Play in the Mud on a Rainy Day
- Rain Drops and Mud
- Songs About The Rain
- Rainy Day Picture Books for Your Reading Nook
- Fun In the Rain
- Printable Water Cycle Wheel
- Magnetic Board Rainy Day Center
- Raindrop Experiment
- It's Raining Words game.
- Rainy Day Fun: Outdoor Activities for Kids that Don't Melt
- Write a Story about Your Own Rain Experiences
- It's Raining! It's Pouring! on eBay
- Rainy Coloring Pages
- It's Raining Frogs
- Take a Walk in the Rain
- What do you do in the rain?
- The Isle of Squid
Down Comes the Rain
I love to read this book to the children as we begin this exciting unit on water, rain and wetness.
It easily leads into a discussion of what we know about rain as well as what we want to learn.
Writing down this information on chart paper as we discuss helps the children to learn how to take notes.
Later we review the chart and see which questions we can now answer.
Down Comes the Rain (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
After rain comes down, the sun comes out and dries the puddles. But the water isn't gone. The heat from the sun has turned it into water vapor-it has evaporated. Eventually, this moisture in the air condenses to form new clouds. Soon the rain will fall again. Read on to find out all the ups and downpours of the water cycle!
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 07/09/2008)
Raindrop Math
Grandma's Thunder Cake is a story about a little girl that is scared of the rain and thunder. Her grandmother keeps her busy collecting things all around the farm.
The cake is ready just as the rain starts to come down and the little girl realizes that she was too busy to be scared.
Here is a math center activity to do after reading Grandma's Thunder Cake by Patricia Pocacco.
Use light blue felt for math mats and and clear flat floral marbles for the raindrop counters.
The teacher claps her hands to indicate thunder.
The children listen for the number of thunder claps and place that number of raindrops in the sky.
For lots more great weather related activities from Mrs. Cox's Pre-K Class click here .
Thunder Cake
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/09/2008)
Rainy Day Fish Math Center
Fish like to bite on a Rainy Day
These kids are making addition combinations with yellow and orange fish made out of felt and lima beans! The idea comes from the newsletters that go along with Mathematics Their Way by Mary Baretta-Lorton
Paint Your Spelling Words with Rain Water
Everybody loves water and on a rainy day you certainly have enough water around. Write your spelling words on the chalk board and then take a large paintbrush and water to trace over them in order to erase them. Lots of fun and the chalkboard gets cleaned too! Rainy Day Ideas
Dr. Jean suggests:
Water Cycle Bracelet - You will need pipe cleaners and beads (clear, white, blue, red) for this project. After teaching your children the water cycle song below, let them string beads on a pipe cleaner to represent the different stages. String the following beads on the pipe cleaner in this order: clear bead (evaporation), white bead (condensation), blue bead (precipitation), red bead (accumulation), and clear bead (evaporation). Adjust the pipe cleaner to the child's wrist, twist, and trim off excess.
("My Darlin' Clementine")
Evaporation (push palms up)
Condensation (hands together in air)
Precipitation all around (wiggle fingers down)
Accumulation (sweep arms in circle)
Evaporation (push palms up)
The water cycle goes
Round and round (make circles with arms)
What If? - Have children draw pictures and write stories of what they would do if they were a raindrop.
Raindrop Pictures - Let children draw pictures on colored construction paper. Give them a cup of white paint and a Q-tip and let them make it rain on their picture.
Webbing - Make an attribute web of all the things that benefit from rain. Use a T-chart to brainstorm positive and negative things about rain.
Make Rain - Make "rain" as a transition activity to quiet children. Hold up one palm and tap with one finger from the other hand. Next, slowly add another finger and tap with two, then three, four, and five. (At this point you can also stomp your feet to make thunder.) Reverse the process by tapping with five fingers, then four, three, two, one. Quietly place your hands in your lap. It will really sound like a rain storm is coming and then going away.
Check out Dr. Jean for more great ideas.
Water Cycle Bracelet - You will need pipe cleaners and beads (clear, white, blue, red) for this project. After teaching your children the water cycle song below, let them string beads on a pipe cleaner to represent the different stages. String the following beads on the pipe cleaner in this order: clear bead (evaporation), white bead (condensation), blue bead (precipitation), red bead (accumulation), and clear bead (evaporation). Adjust the pipe cleaner to the child's wrist, twist, and trim off excess.("My Darlin' Clementine")
Evaporation (push palms up)
Condensation (hands together in air)
Precipitation all around (wiggle fingers down)
Accumulation (sweep arms in circle)
Evaporation (push palms up)
The water cycle goes
Round and round (make circles with arms)
What If? - Have children draw pictures and write stories of what they would do if they were a raindrop.Raindrop Pictures - Let children draw pictures on colored construction paper. Give them a cup of white paint and a Q-tip and let them make it rain on their picture.
Webbing - Make an attribute web of all the things that benefit from rain. Use a T-chart to brainstorm positive and negative things about rain.
Make Rain - Make "rain" as a transition activity to quiet children. Hold up one palm and tap with one finger from the other hand. Next, slowly add another finger and tap with two, then three, four, and five. (At this point you can also stomp your feet to make thunder.) Reverse the process by tapping with five fingers, then four, three, two, one. Quietly place your hands in your lap. It will really sound like a rain storm is coming and then going away.
Check out Dr. Jean for more great ideas.
Rainy Sight Words
Make umbrellas and raindrops writing words and letters on both sides.1. Laminate and place each word with it's raindrop letters into a separate envelope with the word written on the outside.
2. Put a hole in the top of the umbrella for hanging it from the ceiling.
3. Attach paper clips to the umbrella.
4. Hang the raindrops in the right order.
Who doesn't Love to Play in the Mud on a Rainy Day
Collect some mud. Make Mud Pies. Squish it between your fingers and toes. Then really look at it.Can you find small stones, sticks, animals in it? Does mud feel the same all around the playground?
Make a record of your answers and recheck your assumptions on the next rainy day.
Rain Drops and Mud
Picture Books for a Rainy Day
The boy in the Marvelous Mud Washing Machine loves playing in the mud and invents a machine for washing up for lunch. All this with only 10 words and lots of very descriptive pictures.
Jim Arnosky tells a very naturarlistic tale of rabbits on a rainy day.
These are both must have books.
The Marvelous Mud Washing Machine
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2008)
Rabbits and Raindrops (Picture Puffins)
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 07/09/2008)
Mothering Magazine
by Anne Valley-Fox
Love
You're six years old, it's late July,
the afternoon rains have come and the pastures.
In your high desert valley
are flooded. You and your friend with the
olive skin
and rounded belly are wearing nothing
but shorts, you've gone out to play in the drizzle,
the guzzling ground has sucked you down
- you're alligators slithering on your bellies in blue
grama and buffalo grass, the landlord's cows
scraping their hides on the mudded house
" I'm a crocodile!" your pal growls, her new front teeth
nipping your golden shoulder
the ditch beside the cottonwood grove
swells with green apple rain.
Anne Valley-Fox
You're six years old, it's late July,
the afternoon rains have come and the pastures.
In your high desert valley
are flooded. You and your friend with the
olive skin
and rounded belly are wearing nothing
but shorts, you've gone out to play in the drizzle,
the guzzling ground has sucked you down
- you're alligators slithering on your bellies in blue
grama and buffalo grass, the landlord's cows
scraping their hides on the mudded house
" I'm a crocodile!" your pal growls, her new front teeth
nipping your golden shoulder
the ditch beside the cottonwood grove
swells with green apple rain.
Anne Valley-Fox
- Mothering Magazine
- Natural Family Living
Songs About The Rain
Look for ideas on how to use these songs in Beginning Readers.It's Raining, It's Pouring
It's raining, it's pouring,
The old man is snoring,
He went to bed and bumped his head
And couldn't get up in the morning.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, go away.
Come again some other day.
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day
Rain on the Green Grass
Rain on the green grass,
and rain on the tree,
And rain on the housetop,
but not on me.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN THE RAIN?
Please add some more suggestions.
Rainy Day Picture Books for Your Reading Nook
I hope that your books don't actually get wet like this one but reading is a great activity any time and any place. Curled up by the window with raindrops falling down on a tin roof is one of my favorite activities.
Rainy Day Poems
Rain, rain, go away.Come again some other day.
Little Arthur wants to play,
In the meadow by the hay.
Change the name Arthur to each of the children's names in your class. I have the children's names written on index cards and hold it over the word Arthur as we sing through the son.
Bathtub Books
Find a baby bathtub to display these bathtub picture books.
Or use it as a place for the children to sit in while they read.
Rainy Day Puddle Books
After reading these books to the children I like to make them available to take home in Take Home Literacy Bags.
Fun In the Rain
Rain, Rain, Rain
Tune: "Three Blind Mice"
Rain, rain, rain
Rain, rain, rain
Dribble, dribble, sploosh!
Dribble, dribble, sploosh!
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.
If All of the Raindrops
If all of the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be!
Standing outside,
with my mouth open wide
Singing Aa Aa Aa Aa, Aa Aa Aa, Aa Aa Aa,
If all the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be!
(We love to change this one by choosing a letter and thinking of two types of food that begin with the letter. IE: b-broccoli and brownies! We sing the new words in place of lemondrops and gumdrops and replace Aa with the letter sound).
Raindrops
Raindrops are such funny things.
They haven't feet or haven't wings.
Yet they sail through the air
With the greatest of ease,
And dance on the street
Wherever they please!
Here's Your Umbrella
Tune: London Bridge
The rain outside is
falling down,
falling down,
falling down.
The rain outside is falling down.
Here's your umbrella!
Water Cycle
Tune: "It's Raining, It's Pouring"
It's raining, it's pouring,
The oceans are storing
Water from the falling rain
While thunderclouds are roaring.
The rain now is stopping,
The rain's no longer dropping.
Sun comes out and soaks up water
Like a mop that's mopping.
The water's still there now,
But hidden in the air now.
In the clouds it makes a home
Until there's rain to share now.
Thunder and Lightning
Tune "Pop Goes the Weasel"
When a storm begins in the clouds,
It sometimes may look frightening.
You see a quick electrical spark--
Flash! goes the lightning!
Long and thin and streaky and fast,
Its glow is oh so brightening.
Watch for the electric spark--
Flash! goes the lightning!
When a storm begins in the clouds,
It truly is a wonder.
You hear a rumble loud in the sky--
Clap! goes the thunder!
Lightning bolts are heating the air,
Over clouds and under.
When the air expands enough--
Clap! goes the thunder.
Rain, Rain Go Away
Rain, rain, go away
Come again some other day
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day! It's Raining, It's Pouring
It's raining, it's pouring,
It's raining, it's pouring,
The old man is snoring.
He went to bed and he
Bumped his head
And he couldn't get up in the morning.
Clouds
Floating pictures in the sky.
Upon a cloud I'd like to fly.
And see the world
from way up high.
Come and ride a cloud with me. Rain, Rain
Tune: Row Row, Row Your Boat
Rain, rain falling down
Landing all around.
What a lovely sound you make
Splashing on the ground.
I Can Sing A Rainbow
Red and Yellow
and Pink and Green
Purple and Orange and Blue
I can sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow, too. Rain
Rain on the rooftops,
Rain on the trees.
Rain on the green grass,
But not on me!
The Rain
Pitter-patter raindrops,
Falling from the sky.
Here is my umbrella
To keep me safe and dry.
When the rain is over
And the sun begins to glow,
Little flowers start to bud
And grow and grow and grow.
Rain Rain
Rain rain falls on the street,
mud in puddles cleaning my feet.
Thunder thunder rumble and roar,
close the windows and lock the door.
Clouds, clouds black and gray,
heavy with water to drop all day.
Sun sun is breaking through,
clouds are moving, the rain stops too.
Rainbow rainbow across the sky,
see-through colors to tickle my eyes.
www.theteachersroom.com/rainunit.htm
Tune: "Three Blind Mice"
Rain, rain, rain
Rain, rain, rain
Dribble, dribble, sploosh!
Dribble, dribble, sploosh!
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.
If All of the Raindrops
If all of the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be!
Standing outside,
with my mouth open wide
Singing Aa Aa Aa Aa, Aa Aa Aa, Aa Aa Aa,
If all the raindrops were lemondrops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain it would be!
(We love to change this one by choosing a letter and thinking of two types of food that begin with the letter. IE: b-broccoli and brownies! We sing the new words in place of lemondrops and gumdrops and replace Aa with the letter sound).
Raindrops
Raindrops are such funny things.They haven't feet or haven't wings.
Yet they sail through the air
With the greatest of ease,
And dance on the street
Wherever they please!
Here's Your Umbrella
Tune: London Bridge
The rain outside is
falling down,
falling down,
falling down.
The rain outside is falling down.
Here's your umbrella!
Water Cycle
Tune: "It's Raining, It's Pouring"
It's raining, it's pouring,The oceans are storing
Water from the falling rain
While thunderclouds are roaring.
The rain now is stopping,
The rain's no longer dropping.
Sun comes out and soaks up water
Like a mop that's mopping.
The water's still there now,
But hidden in the air now.
In the clouds it makes a home
Until there's rain to share now.
Thunder and Lightning
Tune "Pop Goes the Weasel"
When a storm begins in the clouds,It sometimes may look frightening.
You see a quick electrical spark--
Flash! goes the lightning!
Long and thin and streaky and fast,
Its glow is oh so brightening.
Watch for the electric spark--
Flash! goes the lightning!
When a storm begins in the clouds,
It truly is a wonder.
You hear a rumble loud in the sky--
Clap! goes the thunder!
Lightning bolts are heating the air,
Over clouds and under.
When the air expands enough--
Clap! goes the thunder.
Rain, Rain Go Away
Rain, rain, go awayCome again some other day
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day! It's Raining, It's Pouring
It's raining, it's pouring,
It's raining, it's pouring,
The old man is snoring.
He went to bed and he
Bumped his head
And he couldn't get up in the morning.
Clouds
Floating pictures in the sky.
Upon a cloud I'd like to fly.
And see the world
from way up high.
Come and ride a cloud with me. Rain, Rain
Tune: Row Row, Row Your Boat
Rain, rain falling down
Landing all around.
What a lovely sound you make
Splashing on the ground.
I Can Sing A Rainbow
Red and Yellow
and Pink and Green
Purple and Orange and Blue
I can sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow, too. Rain
Rain on the rooftops,
Rain on the trees.
Rain on the green grass,
But not on me!
The Rain
Pitter-patter raindrops,
Falling from the sky.
Here is my umbrella
To keep me safe and dry.
When the rain is over
And the sun begins to glow,
Little flowers start to bud
And grow and grow and grow.
Rain Rain
Rain rain falls on the street,
mud in puddles cleaning my feet.
Thunder thunder rumble and roar,
close the windows and lock the door.
Clouds, clouds black and gray,
heavy with water to drop all day.
Sun sun is breaking through,
clouds are moving, the rain stops too.
Rainbow rainbow across the sky,
see-through colors to tickle my eyes.
www.theteachersroom.com/rainunit.htm
Printable Water Cycle Wheel
- Water Cycle Wheel
- Color the pictures on the two big circles with your favorite colors. When you are finished coloring, cut out the two circles and the four "cut outs" that are on circle 1. Attach the two circles together (one on top of the other) with a metal fastener through a hole in the center. Put the circle with the cut outs on top. Using the tab on circle two, turn the circle counterclockwise and see the water cycle at work!
Magnetic Board Rainy Day Center
Because this board is magnetic you can also add more magnet words to it. The children love to make sentences about the weather and things to do related to the weather.
Magnetic Weather Board
Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 07/09/2008)
Weather Words and What They Mean
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 07/09/2008)
Magnetic Poetry Kid's Magnetic First Words Kit
Amazon Price: $14.25 (as of 07/09/2008)
Water Toys
Where does the Rain Go?
[Vintage] Drinking Happy Bird
Try to figure out why the bird keeps drinking.
Amazon Price: $5.50 (as of 07/09/2008)
Scramble Squares: Freshwater Fish
The fish all come out on a Rainy Day.
Amazon Price: $6.30 (as of 07/09/2008)
Triple Racer Slip N Slide Water Slide
Slip, Slide and run around for a Rainy PE Day.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2008)
3 1/2" Rubber Duck
Rubber Ducks are great for observing the way water flows down the gutters when the rain is coming down really hard. Get at least one duck per child and watch where they go.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2008)
Create a Terrarium
Watch the Rain fall in the bottle.
Terrariums are miniature gardens grown inside covered clear containers. Use them as a low-maintenance way to enhance your indoor environment, or as a way to teach kids about the water cycle as they witness the fascinating succession of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation in their mini-environment.Materals
Clear plastic or glass container (e.g., jar; fish bowl or aquarium; clear plastic bottle or food container)
potting mix
small rocks, such as pea gravel
short, slow-growing indoor plants
Steps
Choose a container that gives you enough room to reach your hand inside for planting and maintenance. You can make a simple terrarium container by cutting off the top of a 2-liter clear plastic soda bottle. After planting in the bottle, you can either tape the top back on or cover it tightly with plastic.
Clean the container using soapy water and rinse well. Dry completely.
Cover the bottom of the container with small stones to provide drainage. For small containers such as recycled soda bottles, spread stone ½-inch deep; in large containers such as aquarium tanks, spread 1-1/2 inches.
Next, fill the container about one-third to one-half full with moist potting mix. The amount of soil use will depend on the size of the container (you need to have enough room for plant roots to grow).
Time to plant! Purchase for plants that are small, slow-growing, and perform well in humid environments, such as the ones listed below. Most garden centers have an area reserved for indoor plants and you can usually find a variety of plants in 2- to 4-inch pots. Here are some recommendations:
African violet artillery fernfalse aralia jade plant
miniature peperomia nerve plant
oxalis pink polka dot plant
prayer plant small ferns
small peace lilies small philodendrons
spider plant strawberry begonia
Swedish ivy
Go ahead and experiment with different plants. If they appear to grow too vigorously and crowd other plants, or if they respond poorly to the humidity, remove them and try something new. You can also try growing plants from seeds and cuttings.
Infuse your terrarium with personality - feel free to be creative and add other objects to create mini-landscape scenes. Here are some ideas: decorative rocks; animal figurines; tiny bridges; mirrors (portraying miniature ponds).
After planting, attach the lid or cover with plastic. Place the terrarium in a windowsill with indirect lighting or under grow lights. Do not place it in strong, direct sunlight or water will evaporate too quickly and plants may get scorched.
Tips
Observe your terrarium closely for the first few days to make sure you have the proper moisture level:
You'll know that the terrarium contains the right amount of water if the sides and top get misty with water droplets when in bright light.
If there is no moisture along the sides, then you need to add some more water.
If the sides are always very wet and it is hard to see the plants, then there's too much water and you should remove the top for a few hours and allow some of the excess water to evaporate.
Once you achieve the perfect balance, your terrarium will only need periodic monitoring.
http://www.nationalgardenmonth.org/?page=terrarium
It's Raining Cats and Dogs
"It's Raining Cats And Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases" is a great book for learning idioms. Snuggle up on the rug for an interesting read aloud time. Later in the day you might try painting some of these idioms with water colors and make them into a class book.
Try making some of the patterns from "It's Raining Cats & Dogs: Paper-Pieced Quilts for Pet Lovers" with Pattern Blocks or have pieces already cut out for children to paste onto large paper which could then be put together on a bulletin board quilt fashion.
Try making some of the patterns from "It's Raining Cats & Dogs: Paper-Pieced Quilts for Pet Lovers" with Pattern Blocks or have pieces already cut out for children to paste onto large paper which could then be put together on a bulletin board quilt fashion.
It's Raining Cats And Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases
Idioms are everywhere, and often we do not know what they mean. Learn about the origin of animal idioms and sayings. See colorful pictures and interesting literal interpretations of these idioms and sayings. Great book!
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 07/09/2008)
It's Raining Cats & Dogs: Paper-Pieced Quilts for Pet Lovers
Stitch up a tribute to your most devoted, trusted pal--your pet! Instructions for 17 cat and dog projects will delight animal-loving quilters everywhere. You'll even learn to customize designs to match your pet's proportions perfectly. Whether you need to make longer ears, shorter legs, or, yes--bigger bellies--you can do it in the shake of a tail!
Seventeen cat and dog designs use simple foundation piecing, so even beginners can stitch up a fun pet portrait.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2008)
Raining
Weather Board
Raindrop Experiment
- observe and compare different sizes of raindrops
- On a rainy day go outside and hold the dark construction paper parallel to the ground in the rain.
Collect at least 25 drops of rain. This should only take 5 to 10 seconds. Then return to the classroom and observe the raindrops on the paper.
It's Raining Words game.
It's Raining Words game. Program spring-colored umbrella cutouts with words that the children can "sound-out." {I use Saxon Phonics, so this fits appropriately with our phonics curriculum.} Next, program a supply of raindrops with the necessary letters to spell each of the words on the umbrellas. Laminate the pieces and add them to a center. To play: students spell the words on each umbrella by piecing them together with the raindrop letters.http://www.kindergartentreehouse.com/spring.html
April Showers: A Rain Center Game
April Showers center game. (Number-word recognition game.) For each number that you want to practice, photocopy a umbrella pattern on construction paper. Program each umbrella with a different number word; then cut out a supply of construction paper raindrops. Laminate all the pieces; then store them in a decorated envelope. To play: Place the corresponding number of raindrops over each umbrella.http://www.kindergartentreehouse.com/spring.html
Rainy Day Fun: Outdoor Activities for Kids that Don't Melt
By Melanie Schwear
There is a common misconception that many children will either melt, or catch a deathly disease, if made to go outside in the rain. Indeed, outdoor activities are great for rainy days. The following five rainy day fun activities are great for kids and parents alike.Rainy Day Fun #1 - Driveway Chalk Painting
Many children love to draw on the driveway or sidewalks with big pieces of chalk. However, this is usually done on warm, sunny days. Next time it rains, gather up your chalk and head out to the driveway.
In the rain, the chalk will become more like paint. If you have a flat driveway, your children can enjoy swirling the chalk together in puddles. If your driveway is sloped, they can create masterpieces with colors running down hill.
Rainy Day Fun #2 - Bubble FortressAnother great driveway or patio rainy day bit of fun is making bubble fortresses. These work best on days with light rain. To make a bubble fortress, you need a large puddle and some biodegradable dish soap. Pour some of the soap into the puddle and use straws to blow piles of bubbles on the driveway. Experiment with different sizes of straw and other tools. See how far you can spread the bubble fortress before the rain pops the bubbles.
Click on the Water Works Game picture below to get this fun games where you complete your own pipeline from valve to spout by connecting ten pipe cards in between. But watch out for leaks! You'll have to repair pipes, make detours and as your opponents' spring leaks on your pipelines!Rainy Day Fun #3 - Water Pipe Building
For children with an interest in contraptions and gadgets, building water pipes in the yard is a great rainy day activity. Set a goal on getting the most water into a bucket just with the rain. Using cardboard paper towel rolls or other materials, try to funnel and direct the water from a dripping tree, across the yard, and into the bucket.
Rainy Day Fun #4 - Rainy Day Nature WalkGoing on a nature walk on a rainy day allows you and your children to see many things you would not normally see. You can make studies of how water runs down trees, or what type of leaf is best at protecting you from the rain. You can jump in mud puddles.
Insects and animals do different things in the rain as well. During your rainy day nature walk, try to find animals taking shelter from the rain. Try to imagine where you would hide if you were a butterfly or a beetle.
These rainy day activities are designed especially for kids that don't melt in the rain. Getting out in the wet world is a great way to explore and experience. This type of rainy day fun will teach your children a lot about art, nature, and life itself.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/273561/rainy_day_fun_outdoor_activities_for.html
Activities and Songs for Rainy Days
What would the ducks do on a rainy day? Here is a book of outdoor activities, songs by Raffi including "Robin in the Rain", a book about a family of ducks and the leaky pipe game where you have to put in new pipes and fix the leaky ones.
What Do You Do On A Rainy Day?
by Gary Rosen of Rosenshontz
CHORUS:
What do you do on a rainy day?
A rainy day, a rainy day.
What do you do on a rainy day?
A rainy day today.
Look out the window and watch the rain fall
Snuggle in your bed, do nothing at all.
Dress up in jewels, make believe you are a king.
Star on the stage as you dance and sing.
La la la la la la.
CHORUS
Curl up in a chair and read a favorite book.
Find the pots and pans, you can be the cook.
Pull out your paints, make a picture, sign your name.
Turn out the lights, play a scary game.
Oooooh!
CHORUS
Put on a raincoat, a hat and yellow boots.
Take along your boat with the whistle that toots.
Splash in a puddle, make a mudpie just for fun.
March in the rain with a big bass drum.
Rum tum tum tum tum.
CHORUS
Outdoor Rainy Day Activities
Rain and a few friends can turn a rainy day into a wet and wild wonderland. Raincoats, boots, and umbrellas could keep them dry as they venture outside but if it's warm enough, how about just getting wet!1. Umbrella Parade. Lift your umbrella high and march down the sidewalk for a rainy day parade. Sing favorite songs such as "I'm Singing in the Rain" or "Robbin in the Rain" by Raffi (see above) as you walk.
2. Chart the Rain. Collect rainwater in a plastic container with straight sides. Use a ruler and measure the amount. Chart the amount on a calendar. How much rainfall did we have today? This week? This month?3. Here's My Community. A damp, paved area makes a good chalkboard after a light rain. Supply large pieces of colored chalk for a classroom project. Encourage each child to draw her house or familiar neighborhood buildings. When finished, you have a beautiful community mural.
4. Here Come the Ducks. Before going outdoors, read Make Way for Ducklings (1942) by Robert McCloskey. Click here to buy it. Say, "Let's pretend to be ducklings. Can you show me how a duck walks?" Use raincoats and umbrellas if the rain is still falling. Ask children to illustrate their play when they return indoors.5. Rainy Day Code. Make a natural sign language by collecting things that are wet, such as a leaf, twig, rock, blade of grass, etc. Assign an action to each object. For example, a leaf could mean to hop one time, a twig means to clap your hands. Arrange the objects in a pattern with the difficulty related to the child's developmental age. Have the children "write and perform" the code.
Rain Gear
What are the ducks for you may ask? They are for floating down the gutters to watch the water flow. We also like to make paper boats as well.
Write a Story about Your Own Rain Experiences
IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
Write your own Wet and Wild Book
Most educators now use the Writing Process to teach children how to write.
Most educators now use the Writing Process to teach children how to write.
IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
Amazon Price: $20.31 (as of 07/09/2008)
Bookmarks about the Rain
It's Raining! It's Pouring! on eBay
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Rainy Coloring Pages
These rainy coloring pages are great for many activities from making personal Word Walls, templates for graphs or bulletin boards and ideas to spark story writing ideas.
- R is for Rain
- Rainy Coloring Page
Raindrop Workjob:
Make two copies of this page. Write the letters for the word raindrop on the raindrops. Color and laminate them. Cut out the raindrops of one sheet. The children match the letters to spell the word raindrop and then write the word at the bottom of the page with a dry erase marker.
It's Raining Frogs
- It's Raining Frogs!
- Throughout history, there have been tales of raining frogs.
It's Raining It's Pouring is now in the Directory
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Internet Directory of Unit Studies
Encouraging, uplifting, interesting and perhaps ev more...3 points
Take a Walk in the Rain
There is a new group being formed in Squidooville. It's called A Walk in the Woods. Whitefoot the Wood Mouse is inviting you to join him there. If you are a member of Squidoo and you may join the group. The exposure that your lens gets by joining will boost your lens rank and add to the number of web pages linking back to your lens. If you are not yet a member of Squidoo you can still come over and read about those who are. Come take A Walk in the Woods.
Teacher Community
Forum for Teaching Ideas
This is a forum for exchanging ideas about teaching. We discuss centers, math manipulatives, "Read the Room", "Write the Room", Story Bags, Interactive Bulletin Boards, Lapbooking, Creative ways to teach ESL through Lemmi Sticks and lots, lots more. Click here to join in the fun.
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River Otters: Playful Friends of our society!
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What do you do in the rain?
Please let my know by leaving a comment here. Tell me what kinds of things you have explored on a rainy day. How do you excite your children when the days seem drab and drear? Don't forget the stars at the top and if you lensroll this page or add it to your favorites please let me know so that I can reciprocate.
Sid
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Wow, very impressive lens on rain, Evelyn!!
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Posted June 23, 2008
Pete
Good stuff Evelyn ;-)
Pete
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Posted June 23, 2008
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