Whatever the Weather

Weather has a profound affect on us - it helps us decide what to do for the day.  Create a weather board with your children, make templates to represent sun, cloud, rain, thunder and other weather phenomenon.  Each morning, look outside and talk about the weather with your children. Place the relevant weather image on your board to describe the weather.  You can even do this exercise with babies, repeat the weather word to them, 'sun', 'rain', 'cloud' or whichever is relevant. Show them the picture and point between the picture and the sky.  In time they will begin to repeat sounds back to you, and will be able to point to the right picture according to the weather.  This will be communicating before they can even utter full words!  Record more detailed meterological information with older children.  For example, note whether it rained during the day, and how much fell.  Make a rain guage from an old plastic drinks bottle - cut off the top, mark lines on the side and number from the bottom, then leave it outside. Your kids will love an ongoing project and will learn loads about the weather!