For some reason, this time of year always feels like the right time to teach weather. Maybe it’s because the weather can be so changeable this time of year. It makes us wonder why our weather can be so different from one day to the next … sometimes even one HOUR to the next!
Weather is really a fun unit to teach because you can include so many other subjects with it. Science is the obvious one, but math and literacy activities also are very easy to incorporate into your weather unit. You might like to try some of these activities! And if you’re looking for even more weather activities, check out my earlier blog post.
Teach weather as an inter-disciplinary topic
Literacy Ideas
- Keep a weather journal. This is an easy way to incorporate writing into your students’ day. To make their journals, have students fold a sheet of construction paper in half to make a book cover. Staple some lined paper or other writing templates inside. Give them some materials to decorate their cover with, or provide some preprinted clouds for them to cut and paste. Set aside some time each day for them to write.
- Read and write about the changing seasons. This book from National Geographic is a wonderful way to teach about the seasons. It’s perfect for beginning readers and is full of colorful images. Read the book to the class and talk about what each of the seasons is like. Give them a large sheet of paper divided into 4 sections. Have them draw a picture of each season in the boxes. Then, on the back, ask students to write 4 descriptive terms for each season.
Science Ideas
Weather is a perfect topic to incorporate into your science lessons and activities.
- Make a Tornado in a Jar! This is a really fun, easy demo to show how tornados form. All you need are a mason jar, a teaspoon each of dish soap and vinegar, and some optional glitter. Fill the mason jar almost to the top with water … leave about an inch of space. Then add the dish soap and vinegar (and the glitter if you’re using it). Put the lid on the jar and make sure it’s on tight. Then, holding the jar in both hands, swirl it around for a few seconds, then quickly set it on a table or counter. Watch the tornado swirl! How does it work? because you’re creating a vortex by swirling the jar, the centripetal force causes the water to spin around it. Very cool!
- Make fog in a jar! To do this experiment you’ll need a jar, a strainer, ice, and warm water. Warm the jar up by rinsing it with hot water, then put about an inch of hot water in the jar. Put the ice in the strainer and then set it on top of the jar. Watch for the fog to form!
here’s a ready-made resource with math, science, and literacy!
‘What’s The Weather?’ bundle is an integrated unit for teaching the topic of weather. My aim was to make this unit as wide-ranging as possible to suit varied ability levels. The pack content should give teachers enough element of choice to meet all students’ needs. If students have an early curiosity in weather, not only could it help them in their Math and Science studies in school, it may even inspire the next generation of forecasters or meteorologists!
Children are often scared of thunderstorms, but they love jumping in puddles of water and looking at rainbows after a storm ends. Making observations about the weather and discussing climate are great ways to teach children about science, especially since weather is something children can easily relate to and understand. Whether it’s clear and sunny or rainy and windy outside, weather and climate affect children’s lives every day. It dictates our wardrobe, sometimes affects our moods. It can bring us together as a community.
In this resource, you’ll find vocabulary cards, posters, phenomenon research, experiments, and recording sheets, as well as weather patterning and word sorts. There are also puzzles and games for even more fun!
Do you have a favorite activity to teach weather with? Please tell us about it!
