WEATHER

Weather Clock

Children will observe and record the weather.

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What You'll Need
What To Do
Resources
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Lesson Objective

Children will make a weather clock and explain how the weather affects our daily lives.

Science

What You'll Need

  • Dark cardboard or construction paper – 1 sheet per child
  • White paper plates or white cardboard circles – 1 per child
  • Scissors – 1 per child
  • Paper fasteners – 1 per child
  • Markers
  • Chart paper

What To Do

Note: This is an ongoing activity for the children to observe and chart the daily weather.

  1. Begin a discussion about weather with the children (see Did You Know?).
  2. Ask the children to think about a symbol or image to describe what the weather might be like on a given day. Record the symbols or images on the chart paper (or allow children to draw them; such as a Sun for sunny days, umbrella for rainy days, clouds for cloudy days, snowflake for snowy days, cloud with wisps to indicate windy days).
  3. Demonstrate for the children how to draw weather symbols on the outside edge of the white circle, like a clock. Allow the children to draw their own images on their circles.
  4. Using the scissors, help the children cut two arrows from the dark cardboard (or construction paper).
  5. Assist the children with attaching the arrows to the centers of their circles with the paper fasteners.
  6. Show the children how to denote the weather of the day by pointing the arrows to the correct symbols.
  7. Invite the children to “set their clocks” to the appropriate weather at the beginning of each day.

Guiding Student Inquiry

  • Describe what the weather is like today.
  • Tell me how the weather helps us plan how we dress.
  • Explain how the weather affects what we do each day.
  • Explain what the weather is like in the winter (spring, summer, fall).
  • Tell me what a good symbol for a rainy day (snowy, foggy, cloudy, sunny) would look like.

Explore, Extend & Integrate

  • Make a classroom chart to keep track of the weather every day for a month. Compare the total number of sunny days to cloudy or rainy days.
  • Discuss different sounds the weather makes. Use a cookie sheet to make thunder, a pie tin and rice for rain, and a fan for wind. Have the children close their eyes and describe the type of weather they think each item sounds like.

Check for Children’s Understanding

  • Was each child able to create a “weather clock?”
  • Could children explain how the weather affects our daily lives?
  • Could children draw or use a sticker as a symbol for each type of weather?

Resources

Did You Know?

A meteorologist is someone who studies the weather. Meteorologists predict, or say ahead of time, the weather conditions that are expected. Weather affects our daily lives. People need to know about the weather so they can plan what to wear or to plan their daily activities. For example, if snow is expected you would need to dress warmly, and snow would limit outside activities such as bike riding. Although we cannot control the weather, we have learned to adapt to it. Our homes are well insulated to protect us from the cold, and many homes are air conditioned or have fans to help keep us cool when it is hot outside.

Our weather comes from basically two things: the Sun and the moisture in the air. These two things work together to create clouds, snow, rain, thunderstorms, and fog. They also cause the wind to blow. Without the Sun or the moisture in the air, the Earth would have no weather. There is always moisture in the air. We can see it when it’s raining or snowing outside. Even on a sunny day, there is moisture in the air. Although we cannot always see the moisture in the air, we can sometimes feel it in the form of humidity.

Vocabulary: Child-Friendly Definitions

  • weather – the conditions outside including temperature, rain, snow, Sun, and other things.
  • meteorologist – a scientist who studies the Earth’s weather and atmosphere.
  • moisture – a small amount of liquid in the air or on a surface.
  • cloud – a white or gray mass of small drops of water high in the sky above the Earth.
  • fog – a thick cloud that is near to the ground.
  • humidity – water vapor or moisture in the air.

Lesson Tips

  • You may want to precut the arrows or make a template for the children to trace.
  • Make weather stickers available for those children who wish to use them in place of drawing weather symbols.
  • You may want to divide the white circles into five or six evenly spaced sections to accommodate these weather symbols: snow, rain, clouds, Sun, wind, and fog.
  • You can adjust the weather sections to include hot and cold.

Books

  • Down Comes the Rain by Franklyn M. Branley        
  • What Will the Weather Be?  by Lynda DeWitt
  • Maisy’s Wonderful Weather Book by Lucy Cousins
  • I Can Read About Weather by Robyn Supraner
  • Oh Say Can You Say What’s the Weather Today? by Tish Rabe

Home School Resources

Home educators: use these printable lesson PDFs to teach this lesson to your home schoolers. They're available in English and Spanish.

Home/School Connections

Las Conexiones a la Casa

While we believe that the books and resources recommended may be of value to you, keep in mind that these are suggestions only and you must do your own due diligence to determine whether the materials are appropriate and suitable for your use. PNC has no sponsorship or endorsement agreement with the authors or publishers of the materials listed.

Content Provided By

Delaware Museum of Natute & Science

Visit The Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

Common Core State Standards Initiative – These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge [1]. Visit the CCSS