Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Weekly Theme: Wacky Weather – Centers Activities
Art Center
Water Cycle Bracelet
Make a water cycle bracelet from colored beads. The rain (light blue bead) falls down on the
grass (green bead). It forms puddles (dark blue bead). The sun (yellow bead) comes out and
dries up or evaporates (clear bead) the puddles. The air is filled with moisture and this causes a
cloud (white bead) to form. Then the cycle starts all over again.
Weather Painting
For weather paintings use glue and shaving crème mixed to make puffy clouds. You can also
use glitter for the rain falling down. You can make clouds with cotton, white pom-poms, puffy
paint, torn scraps of paper, and more!
Clouds
Students can cut a cloud from white paper. Next, cut raindrops out of different shades of blue
paper and lighting out of yellow paper. Glue these on a piece of paper. Finally, have them glue
trips of multi-colored crepe paper on the cloud to symbolize a rainbow coming from the cloud.
Wind Stick
Students can paint a paper towel roll and then attach (staple) multi-colored tissue paper strips to
the end of the roll. On a particularly windy day let your children take these outside and watch the
strips blow in the wind.
Wind Sock
Cut the end out of a paper bag. Next have your children paint the bag and decorate it any way
that they want. Have them attach streamers to the end of the bag. On the other end of the bag
punch two holes (reinforce with tape and then punch) and put yarn through it. Your children can
now hang up their windsock and watch the wind blow through it.
Pin Wheels
Start with a square piece of paper. Let children color or paint the paper. Cut from the corners, in
about 2/3 and fold the four corners into the middle. Put a tack through the center and stick it into
a pencil eraser. Blow on it, or see the wind blow and turn it.
Huge Rainbow
Take a large piece of butcher paper, then draw arcs on it and have the children paint each arc,
by putting their hand prints into paint. Red hand prints for the top arc, orange hand prints for the
next arc, etc.
Rainbow Necklace
Provide fruit rings cereal and yarn for students to make rainbow necklaces.
Board Game Center
Can Do Science Game – Earth Processes (Lakeshore)
Weather Bingo (Lakeshore)
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Building/Manipulatives Center
Build a rainbow with LEGO® bricks or blocks.
CATCH Kids® Games
(K-2)-#165, #257, #118
(3-5)-#151, #257
Computer Center/Computer Lab
Drippy the Raindrop Online Book
http://www.kimballmedia.com/Drippy/DrippysWorldTrialStories/ToMountainsAndBack/Entry.htm
Catch the Rain Game
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kalani/catching.cfm
Weather Matching Game
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kalani/catching.cfm
Cloud Concentration
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/concentration/concen2.html
Dramatic Play Center
Weather Play
Add some extra dress up clothes to the dramatic play area such as coats, rubber boots, rain
coats, and even an umbrella would be fun!
The Winter Woodland
Narrator: It was the beginning of March, the dead cold of winter. Each day, a cheerless cloud
darkened the sky as the powerful North Wind roared across the woodland like a huge lion with
razor-sharp icicle teeth. Ever since the first snowflakes of winter first drifted down in November
past, North Wind could not be stopped.
[Students representing snowflakes can begin swirling around and then moving more furiously on
stage as the wind whips them around. Also, if you have opted to use paper-plate snowflakes, a
few of these may be placed in front of the ground line to simulate snow piling up.]
All winter long, the wind ripped a frozen path through the woods, slamming this way and that,
leaving crusty layers of ice and snow in its wake. Trees that once stood tall with branches full of
colorful autumn leaves, now hung low with sharp, glassy icicles. [Students playing the wind take
away taped-on autumn leaves and replace them with icicles.]
Streams and brooks that once bubbled and foamed were frozen into solid ribbons of ice;
woodland animals that once scampered in the warm autumn sun, now huddled together in the
stone-cold ground to escape the wind’s force; flowers that once swayed in the autumn air now
lay quiet and bent beneath the silent weight of the frosty snow. Even the children, who, in
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
November, had dangled tongues and mittens in the air trying to catch the first snowflakes of
winter, now lowered their heads and squinted against the icy gusts that bit into their faces.
By mid-March, North Wind thought it time to swirl about and survey its work. It licked its icy lips
and smiled a frosty smile as it glared at the frozen land. North Wind knew it had helped to freeze
the woods over, and it felt quite powerful, indeed! All the woodland plants and animals — and
even the children who played there — were about ready to give up hope that the spring thaw
would ever arrive.
And then, at the end of March, just when the whole world — including all the hope and promise
— seemed to be forever frozen still and lifeless, a tiny springtime surprise popped up! The trees
stretched over to see it. The frozen waters melted over to nibble at it. The woodland animals
scurried over to hear it. The children bent near to smell it. And together everyone was feeling
the same sense of wonder for a velvety crocus flower — the very first flower of springtime —
had managed to push its fresh, flowery face up through the sparkly snow.
Everyone began shouting hoorah! — that is until the North Wind spotted the tiny bud, drew in its
breath, bent down dangerously close to the fledgling flower and tried blowing a blustery wind
against the delicate petals. But, much to North Wind’s surprise, all that came out was a whispersoft spring breeze, warm and gentle as a baby lamb’s breath. The breeze touched the bud's
petals and then swirled up to nudge away the dark winter clouds that hung above. Suddenly the
woods were bathed in sunlight. The new bud turned its petal face toward the light. Meanwhile,
more and more flower buds began popping up everywhere! Snow and ice melted into liquid
streams and brooks. Animals hopped out of their hiding places to stretch and scamper at last.
Icicles on the trees melted, leaving tiny leaf buds on the tree branches. [Students playing the
wind can now replace the taped-on icicles with taped-on leaf buds.] Children peeled off their
winter mittens, boots, and hats so they could run and play spring games. By the time March
turned into April, the whole woodland was dancing around to celebrate the new spring season
— especially the lamb-like spring breeze who had once blown fierce as a lion in winter.
Gross Motor Center
Wind and Clouds
After discussing how the wind moves the clouds. Let your children have cloud races by blowing
into straws (wind) to move cotton balls or pompoms (clouds).
Parachute Weather
Use a parachute or large sheet, have the children shake the parachute like it is a stormy day, a
calm breezy day, a rain storm, a sunny day, etc.
KidzLit®
(K-3)-Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
(3-5)-The Bat Boy and His Violin
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Listening Center
During the weather theme, play different weather CDs for your children. Some CDs are
Rainforest Sounds, Storm Sounds and Wind.
Thematic Units Cassettes – Seasons and Weather (Lakeshore)
Music Center
Like a Lion - sung to "Mary had a little Lamb"
March comes in like a lion,
like a lion, like a lion.
March come in like a lion,
and goes out like a lamb.
March comes in with a great big wind,
great big wind, great big wind
March comes in with a great big wind,
and goes out with a breeze.
Lambs and Lions - sung to "London Bridge"
Lions and lambs come out to play, out to play, out to play.
Lions and lambs come out to play.
Lambs and lions! (have partners face each other, holding hands and swinging arms from side to
side.)
Lions stand up and lambs sit down, lambs sit down, lambs sit down.
Lions stand up and lambs sit down.
Lambs and Lions! (sit or stand as directed)
(Repeat the song, inserting new movements or sounds to match the verses)
Lambs all walk and lions jog
Lions twist and lambs jump up
Lambs say, "Baa" and lions Roar!
Clouds Are Big and Fluffy Tune of: Mary Had A Little Lamb.
Clo-uds a-re big and flu-ffy,
big and flu-ffy, big and flu-ffy.
Clo-uds a-re big and flu-ffy,
They are up in the sky.
Clo-uds a-re white or gray.
white or gray, white or gray.
Clo-uds a-re white or gray.
They are up in the sky.
Ra-in comes out of the clouds
of the clouds, of the clouds,
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Ra-in comes out of the clouds
That’s why everything is wet.
Reading Center
K-3
Maisy's Wonderful Weather Book by Lucy Cousins
Spot’s Windy Day by Eric Hill
The Cloud Book by Tomie dePalo
Weather by Pamela Chanko
3-5
Henry and Mudge And the Wild Wind by Cynthia Rylant
The Magic School Bus a Book About Weather by Nancy White and Bruce Degen
Weather Detectives by Mark Eubank and Mark A. Hicks
Weather's Here, Wish You Were Great by Sandy Beech and Jimmy Holder
Riddles
If April Showers bring May Flowers, what to May Flowers bring?
Pilgrims!
What did the hurricane say to the other hurricane?
I have my eye on you.
What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks?
Foul (fowl) weather
What storm happens in your head?
A brainstorm!
What goes up when rain comes down?
An umbrella
Science and Nature Center
Bag of Rain
Put a little soil and grass in the bottom of a Zip-Loc bag. Pour a couple of spoonfuls of water
over the grass. Blow up the bag (seal all but a one side and blow up the bag with a straw and
then seal the rest of the way). Tape the bag to a window that receives a lot of sun. After a while,
you may see drops of water forming at the top of the bag once a drop gets large big enough it
will roll down the sides.
Catch the Rain
Have the students use a rain gauge to measure precipitation for a day, week or month. It should
be placed in a very open spot not under a tree or a building overhang.
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Make Your Own Rainbow
You Need:
a glass of water, a sunny window, a sheet of white paper,
What to do:
Stand the water up in bright sunlight. Place the sheet of paper on the floor.
What happens?
You see a rainbow.
Why?
You are separating the white light. The water in the glass makes the light rays change direction
"refract". Each color bends differently which is why we can see them separately. It's the same
with the rainbow in the sky. Water in the air causes the curved spectrum we see.
JMG-Teacher/Leader Guide: Ch. 3, pg. 49-Garden Weather Station
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials