There are lots of great hands on weather activities especially for the littlest learners to teach them about the elements of weather surrounding them every day. Also, you’ll love my Free Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning.
From clouds to rainbows, naturally curious kids want to know all about the world around them and letting them get their hands on it is the best way.
One fun way to teach kids about weather through play is with a weather sensory tray or bin.
I have a tutorial for you today on a weather bin.
As kids explore and move the elements you can talk about each element and ask open-ended questions to help them learn to think.
Books About Weather
First, look at these books about weather which you can use with all your kids.
13 Weather Resources and Books For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
Grab some of these fantastic weather resources and books to engage your youngest learners about what is weather.
Will it be warm or cold? Should we wear shorts or pants? Shoes or rain boots? What Will the Weather Be? uses colorful, simple diagrams to explain meteorology in a fun, engaging way. Perfect for young scientists and budding meteorologists, this bestseller features clear explanations of everyday weather instruments like thermometers and barometers.
- Nature's most destructive force can be observed and enjoyed in the palm of your hand.
- Hold Pet Tornado from top or bottom and rotate wrist form amazing funnel clouds.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
Drip. Sip. Pour me a cup. Water is water unless...it heats up.Whirl. Swirl. Watch it curl by. Steam is steam unless...it cools high.This spare, poetic picture book follows a group of kids as they move through all the different phases of the water cycle. From rain to fog to snow to mist, talented author Miranda Paul and the always remarkable Jason Chin (Redwoods, Coral Reefs, Island, Gravity) combine to create a beautiful and informative journey in this innovative nonfiction picture book that will leave you thirsty for more.
What triggers a tornado? What can you see in the eye of a hurricane? What's the difference between a thunderbolt and a thunderclap? Popular author and artist Eric Sloane proves why weather is something best understood by seeing it. His illustrated book shows weather "happening." In fact, there's not a sunny page in it—nothing but cyclonic storms, whirlwinds, waterspouts, lightning bolts, and other fascinating, weather-related topics. More than seventy pages of drawings and diagrams make the weather come alive in a book that examines everything from storm mechanisms and cold fronts to the birth of a thunderhead.
"Amateur weather forecasters (which includes just about everyone) will find this volume an informative and entertaining account of the why and how of the weather." -- The Nation In simple language, Eric Sloane explains the whys and wherefores of weather and weather forecasting -- and does it in a style that's universally appealing. With humor and common sense shining through in a book that's also lively and informative, Sloane shows readers how to predict the weather by "reading" such natural phenomena as winds, skies, and animal sounds. This beautifully illustrated and practical treasure trove of climate lore will enlighten outdoorsmen, farmers, sailors, and anyone else who has ever wondered what a large halo around the moon means, why birds "sit it out" before a storm, and whether or not to take an umbrella when leaving the house.
A midwestern summer thunderstorm as seen through the eyes of artist/etcher Arthur Geisert, and depicted in unprecedented detail, beautifully hand-colored.
Thunderstorm follows the course of a storm through midwestern farm country minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, from late morning into late afternoon. As always with Arthur Geisert, it is a meticulously executed and visually stunning piece of work. Other than the timeline that runs along the bottom border of the illustrations, there is no text, and the illustrations are continuous.
Through keen observation, Geisert beautifully captures the nuances and details of a midwestern thunderstorm, from the ever-changing color of the sky, to the actions of the human inhabitants, to the reactions of the natural world to the wind and rain. America's heartland is somewhat unfamiliar territory in the realm of picture books, but in Thunderstorm, Geisert has provided readers with valuable, breathtaking insight into one of its most natural occurrences.
A book about weather, from the animated television series on the Learning Channel.
Rain, Hail, Sleet & Snow was first published by Nancy Larrick in 1961 and served as an introduction to elementary students about how weather conditions are formed. The book has been out of print for quite some time and modern books do not offer this age group such an approachable discussion of how inclement weather is formed and the conditions that effect it. While it does not discuss the most modern tools of meteorology, it does mention the use of airplanes, satellites, and other tools of measurement. Other topics besides rain, hail, sleet and snow that are discussed are tornadoes and hurricanes, lightning and thunder, fog, humidity, water vapor, condensation, ice crystals, and the different types of clouds.
A delightful blend of serious meteorology and beautiful illustrations, this informative book displays the many talents of Eric Sloane. A writer, landscape painter, weather forecaster, and authority on early American history, Sloane takes readers with him on a voyage of discovery as he traces a single air mass from the Canadian Rockies to northern New England. A vivid narrative and the author's own pen-and-ink sketches describe the progress of the air mass over America, and tell about its encounters with other elements of weather systems and with Americans from a variety of backgrounds.
In this eye-opening trove of outdoor clues, acclaimed natural navigator Tristan Gooley shows us how, by "reading" nature as he does, you'll not only detect what the weather is doing (and predict what's coming), you'll enter a secret wonderland of sights and sounds you've never noticed before. Discover the ways that weather can reveal a hidden world with every step you take—through the woods or down a city street.
- A turbulent sky with mismatched clouds predicts bad weather.
- Snowflakes get smaller as the temperature drops.
- Dry weather and morning frost follow a clear moon.
- Gliding birds mean stable air and thus, fair weather.
- Honeybees don't leave their hives below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Crickets chirp faster as the temperature rises.
- Pine cones close their scales in high humidity.
- Perching birds face into the wind.
- Cows don't lie down before rain, but they do head home.
Simple, kid-friendly text explains the origins of fog, clouds, frost, thunderstorms, snow, fronts, hurricanes, reinforcing the explanations with clear, well-labeled drawings and diagrams. Newly revised, this edition of Weather Words and What They Mean has been vetted by an expert from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Best of all, the book features a fun list of weird weather facts!
o you know a child who is scared or feels uneasy during thunderstorms?
The Wonder of Thunder is a lighthearted children’s rhyming picture book that helps tame fears while highlighting all the wondrous things thunderstorms can do.
Children will adore Sally Storm, a lovable character who excitedly shares all the good she can do as she swirls and tumbles overhead. This early learning picture book introduces the topic of storms, thunder, lightning and rain in a fun and non-threatening way.
Colourful and captivating illustrations pull children into the story and hold their attention through to the end, where Sally shares more fun facts about thunderstorms and engages children through direct questions.
Next, look at some of these ideas I have for you.
More Ideas For Studying About the Weather
- Quick Groundhog Day Unit Study and Fun Cupcake Activity for Kids
- How to Make a Simple Wind Vane | Fun Wind Activities Middle School
- Weather Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning
- 5 Simple Wind Energy Activities For Kids & Fun DIY Anemometer
And add these hands-on ideas.
9 Hands-on Weather Activities
Try one or more of these wonderful weather activities.
- This Cloud Spotting Learning Tool Craft is a fun way to observe clouds and learn about the different types.
- How do thunderstorms form? You can answer that question with this hands-on activity Warm Air Rises and Cold Air Sinks: Thunderstorm Formation Science Experiment
- Try this simple and colorful Wind Experiment in Preschool STEM to observe how wind moves objects.
- Homemade Thermometer Science Project
- Math, science, and fun work together when you try the How to Build an Easy DIY Rain Gauge activity and monitor the rainfall.
- Learn How to Make a Cloud in a Jar while you explain how clouds form.
- Check out this Easy Grow a Rainbow on Paper Towel Experiment, it is so pretty and takes just a couple minutes to put it together.
- We can’t see thunder but we sure can hear it! This Dr. Seuss-inspired Thunder Science Experiment helps kids understand that noise a little more.
- Weather Sensory Bottles are just right for hands about 2-4 years old to explore the weather.
Not only is the tray a fun place to learn about weather elements and symbols, and a great sensory activity but they can also use it to practice prewriting by drawing letters in the rice with their finger.
Finally, look how to make this fun weather sensory bin for preschool and kindergarten.
Hands-on Weather Activities Awesome Weather Sensory Tray
First, look at this small toy. They’re great for demonstrating weather and children love to watch it swirl.
You will need:
- Craft foam in assorted colors
- White rice
- Large deep tray
- Baking sheet
- Blue food coloring
- Scissors
- Gallon ziploc bag
Place several cups of white rice in a gallon ziploc bag. How much will depend on the size of your container and how deep you would like it.
This will create your background sky for the weather elements and give your child a fun sensory play base.
Add a couple of squirts of hand sanitizer and blue food coloring, again, the amount will depend on how much rice and your color preference.
Close the bag and let little hands massage and shake the rice to coat it well with the food coloring and hand sanitizer.
Pour out colored rice on a baking sheet to dry, and place in the sun for quicker drying.
The alcohol in the hand sanitizer helps it dry quickly. Stir occasionally to be sure it is all dry.
Once the rice is dry, pour it on your sensory tray.
Hands-on Weather Activities Awesome Weather Sensory Tray
For really young children you could instead put everything in a deeper bin to contain more of the rice.
Now, we are going to create weather elements with craft foam.
Cut simple shapes out like raindrops, clouds, and lightning bolts.
For the sun cut out a large circle and smaller triangles.
Hot glue the triangles to the back of the circle.
To create a tornado, cut out an elongated triangle on black craft foam and draw loops on it with a white paint pen or chalk marker.
Make a rainbow by cutting small strips of your Roy G. Biv colors (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).
Even if you do not live in an area with snow, cut out some snowballs, little piles of snow, and a snowman to talk about what that weather is like.
Put some fun letters in the colored rice in the bin to practice letter recognition and sounds and spell out weather or any weather word you like.
Finally, add your foam weather pieces for play.
