Spring: Day Three

Rain

Show this picture of a dog in rain, under an umbrella. Talk about what is going on in the picture and point out words like: rain, umbrella, puddles, etc. Listen to a recording of the sound of rain falling and thunder.

Books:
Spring is Here Mini Book
Rain Feet--Angela Johnson

Songs:
Rain is Falling--LDS Children's Songbook

Umbrella Song
(Tune: I'm A Little Teapot )
Here's my new Umbrella.
Wide and high.
It keeps me cozy, warm and dry.
If the rain starts falling from the sky
Just open me up and you'll stay dry.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, go away
Come again some other day.

Under my Umbrella
Under my umbrella, I am dry
(Make Umbrella shape with hands)
When it’s raining, my oh my
(Wiggle fingers like rain)
I wait until the raindrops stop.
(Clap hands on stop)
Now no umbrella on my top!
(Hold up Hands)

The Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again

Activities:

Coloring Pages

Umbrella Play: Take an umbrella outside. Show how it opens up and keeps you dry in the rain. Make pretend showers with a sprinkler, water hose, or by pouring water from a pitcher on the umbrella while child is underneath.

Concepts of Wet and Dry:
Explain the concept of wet and dry to your child using activities such as wetting his and your hands, drying hands, Wetting a towel, comparing the wet towel to a dry towel.

RAINY DAY PICTURES
Have your children use crayons to draw pictures of outdoor scenes on white paper. Encourage them to press down hard while they are coloring. Tint water with blue food coloring to make a transparent, watery "paint." Let the children brush the paint over their papers to create a rainy-day look.

Raindrop Scissor Practice
Cut out a large rain drop shape. Have children fill it in by gluing on pieces of blue construction paper or foil they have cut up.

COLORED CHALK RAIN PICTURES
Invite your children to draw pictures on white construction paper with pieces of colored chalk. Then have them hold their pictures outside in the rain. Or let them dip their fingers into water and sprinkle "raindrops" on their papers. What happens to the chalk colors when they become wet? (They become more vibrant.) Variation: color with chalk on sidewalk and watch what happens when the you pour "rain" over the sidewalk.

RAIN GEAR SORT
In a large box, place several items suitable for use in dry weather, such as a tee shirt, a sweatshirt, and sandals, plus items suitable for use in rainy weather, such as an umbrella, a raincoat, and boots. Invite your children to sort out the items they would select to use on a rainy day.

Rain Cutting

Have children cut pieces of white construction paper or aluminum foil. The children then glue these shapes onto black or blue construction paper as raindrops.

Making Rain

Boil some water in a pot (or a tea kettle) until steam forms above it. Then fill a pie pan with ice cubes and hold it above the pot in the steam "cloud." Have the children observe that when the steam comes in contact with the cool air from the pie pan, drops of water form and fall back into the pot like rain. Caution: Supervise children closely.

Shaving Cream Clouds
Cover the table with a blue shower curtain or blue plastic tablecloth. Place shaving creme on the table and have the children make clouds on a blue sky.