Rain

AREA SETUP

(Open thematic poster-Rain) Print, laminate, and decorate the walls of your daycare with all kinds of posters.

Educa-decorate-Rain
Print, cut out, and laminate the illustrations. Use them to decorate the walls of your daycare throughout the theme.

Garland-Rain
(Open garland-Rain) Print. Let children decorate the items. Cut them out and hang them within the daycare or near your daycare entrance.

SPECIAL TOOL

(Open poster-Opening hours) This tool was created in response to a special request received. Print and display.

CIRCLE TIME

Poni presents-The water cycle
(Open Poni presents-The water cycle) Print the cards and have children place them in the correct order. Use a Poni puppet or any other popular puppet to accompany children as they learn about the water cycle.

Educa-chat-Rain
(Open educa-chat-Rain) (Open giant word flashcards-Rain) Print the questions and the giant word flashcards. Laminate them. Deposit the questions in a box so that children can take turns picking them and spread the giant word flashcards out on a table so children can see them or display them on a wall. Also print the card "It's my turn". Laminate the card and attach it to a Popsicle stick. It will help children respect the child who is speaking. You may also use a puppet or a stuffed animal related to the theme if you prefer. The various questions will help children develop their vocabulary, their reflections, their ability to cooperate with others, to wait for their turn, and respect the person who is talking, etc. This tool will help you lead a discussion with your group and explore your theme.

Point to the following illustrations

(Open giant word flashcards-Rain) Print, laminate, and display the word flashcards on the wall near your circle time area or on a large piece of cardboard which can be moved to various locations within the daycare. Children take turns identifying a word. Water, raindrop, raincoat, umbrella, worm, puddle, cloud, thunder, lightning, rain boots, rain hat, rainbow

PICTURE GAME

The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with your group. Use them to decorate your daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game-Rain) Print, laminate, and store the pictures in a Ziploc bag or in your thematic bin.

ACTIVITY SHEETS

Activity sheets are suggested for each theme. (Open activity sheets-Rain) Print and follow instructions.

Educa-nuudles-Rain
(Open educa-nuudles-Rain) Print for each child. Have children color the sheet and use Magic Nuudles to transform the drawing and give it a three-dimensional look. Variation: You do not have Magic Nuudles? Simply ask children to fill the spaces with bingo markers or stickers.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Word flashcards-Rain

The flashcards may be used during circle time to spark a conversation with your group or in your reading and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Rain) (Open giant word flashcards-Rain) Print. Water, raindrop, raincoat, umbrella, worm, puddle, cloud, thunder, lightning, rain boots, rain hat, rainbow

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS-Weather

Construction/building blocks:

• A container filled with figurines.
• Blocks of all kinds along with complimentary materials which may be used for constructions of all kinds. Children can make a tent to stay out of the sun, a cottage for summer vacation, an igloo, etc.
• Cotton batting can represent snow, blue fabric can represent water, etc.

Arts & crafts:

• Make clouds using cardboard, gray paint, paintbrushes, silver glitter, and cotton balls.
• Make umbrellas using colourful construction paper and a variety of pre-cut shapes.
• Chalk and dark-coloured construction paper can be used to draw a snowstorm or a wintery scene.
• Make sunglasses with cardboard tubes and cellophane paper.
• Use recycled materials to make a weather vane.
• Paint (add a small amount of water to make it more liquid) and drinking straws to "paint with the wind".
• Rain leads to mud. Why not paint with mud? Simply add sand to your poster paint.
• Add food coloring to a few bottles of white glue to make rainbow glue.
• Acetate paper (or adhesive paper) or a CD can be used to make a suncatcher. Simply decorate it and hang it in a window.
• Yellow, orange, and red construction paper can be used to make a sun.
• Make sun hats using construction paper and decorative accessories.
• Make a rainstick out of an empty paper towel tube.
• Invite children to paint the activities they enjoy depending on the weather.
• Cut snowflakes out of coffee filters.
• Make a kite or paper planes and take them outside.

Drawing:

• Coloring pages related to various weather conditions.
• Coloring pages related to the seasons.
• Weather pictograms or stencils.

Role play:

• Seasonal clothing.

o For spring and autumn: rain boots, rain hat, raincoat, warm sweater, light mittens, nylon pants, umbrella, etc.
o For summer: bathing suit, towel, shorts, t-shirts, sandals, sun hat, baseball cap, etc.
o For winter: snowsuit, mittens, scarf, tuque, boots, etc.

• Set up a microphone and a pretend television. Children can pretend they are weather forecasters. Display a map on the wall and provide weather pictograms as tools for their presentations.
• Create a barbecue area. Children can pretend it is summer and they are cooking outdoors.

Manipulation:

• Association game involving sports and various weather conditions.
• Puzzles related to seasons.
• Memory game with illustrations representing a variety of weather conditions.
• Several different sizes of mittens. Children can place them in ascending order.
• White or gray modeling dough for sculpting clouds, yellow and orange modeling dough for sculpting suns, etc.
• Sound boxes, children can try to reproduce the sounds associated with thunderstorms.
• Various board games.

Pre-reading:

• Books about weather and seasons.
• CDs with nature sounds and headphones.

Pre-writing:

• Sun, raindrop, and cloud stencils or connect the dot activities.
• Games with educatall.com word flashcards.
• Activity sheets related to the theme.
• Weather pictograms which can be traced or copied.

Motor skills:

• An obstacle course. At the end of the course, trace the silhouette of each child on a large piece of paper or on the sidewalk if you are outdoors.
• Musical instruments which can be used to reproduce thunder or rain sounds.
• Use an overturned umbrella as a basket to catch balls of paper.
• Make soap bubbles and follow them as they float away.

Sensory bins:

• Water table or a large container filled with water and several strainers children can use to "make rain".
• A bin filled with snow or ice.
• A container filled with water and eyedroppers, poultry basters, and pasta strainers.

Kitchen:

• Make homemade snow cones.
• Make popsicles.
• Bake cupcakes and decorate them with rainbow-coloured chocolate chips.

Early science:

• Moisten a cotton ball and deposit it in a Ziploc bag along with grass seeds. Seal the bag and hang it in a sunny window. Watch what happens after a few days...
• Fill plastic bags with colourful water and freeze them to experiment with a new texture.
• Different types of thermometers can be used to verify which area of the daycare is warmer, cooler, etc.
• Make a weather wheel.
• Outdoors, make a sun clock. Simply plant a 6-foot post in the ground and deposit twelve stones around it.
• Deposit a variety of objects on a large piece of black cardboard. Leave it out in the sun for a few hours. What happens?
• What do plants need to grow? Organize a gardening activity. Determine which area of the yard is best to grow plants.
• Watch ice melt in the sun.
• With a fan, explain the force of the wind.

TRANSITION AND ROUTINE ACTIVITIES

This is my spot-Rain
(Open game-This is my spot-Rain) Print two copies of each illustration. Stick one copy of each illustration on the table using adhesive paper. Drop the other copy in a bag. Children take turns picking an illustration to determine their spot at the table for the day. The illustrations can also help you determine children's naptime spots or their spot in the task train.

My raindrop path
(Open my raindrop path) Print, laminate, and secure the illustrations on the floor to create a path leading to various areas within your daycare. The path may lead to the areas children visit most such as the bathroom, the cloakroom, etc. or delimit your various workshops.

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES

Spray bottle rain
Fill spray bottles with lukewarm water and surprise babies by gently spraying them. Watch their reaction. Spray their legs, their arms, their neck, etc.

I am a spectator
During a thunderstorm or a rainfall, bring babies to the window. They will be impressed (or maybe a little scared), but they will discover what rain is.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Lacing raindrops
(Open lacing-raindrops) Print, laminate, and punch holes around the contour of the models. Children may thread string, shoelaces, or ribbon through the holes.

Puddles of water
Cut puddle shapes out of blue construction paper and secure them on the floor using adhesive paper. Encourage children to jump over the puddles according to your instructions: while clapping their hands, on one foot, with their eyes closed, while holding a friend's hand, etc. Variation: You may use the same puddles for a musical puddle game (like musical chairs).

Raindrops
Deposit one hula hoop per child on the floor. Invent a simple story, explaining to children that they are raindrops. Have them jump from one hoop to the next, just like raindrops falling in puddles.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Look at the clouds
Have children lie on their backs and observe the clouds. Encourage children to identify shapes and objects.

Gentle rain
On a warm and sunny day, give each child a spray bottle filled with water. Have fun spraying each other!

Wet walk
Go for a walk in the rain. Touch the rain and determine if it is hot or cold. Look at the color of the sky and the shapes of the clouds. Fill buckets with rainwater, jump over puddles, search for worms, etc.

The sun, the water, and the rainbow
Give each child a spray bottle filled with water. Have them stand with the sun behind them and spray. Watch the result. Children should see colors. Discuss rainbows with your group.

RELAXATION ACTIVITIES

Relaxation
Play calm water music (waves, streams, rain, etc.) and invite children to relax.

Falling rain
Place a mattress and blankets near a window on a rainy day. Encourage children to admire the falling rain and listen to its gentle pitter-patter.

MUSICAL AND RHYTHMIC ACTIVITIES

Rain dance
Play music for your group and tell them about the traditional rain dance.

Rainsticks
To make your own rainsticks, you will need:

1 empty paper towel tube per child
A nail
A paper bag
Two rubber bands per child
Popping corn, rice, or sand

Toothpicks or wooden skewer pieces

With the nail, make holes in a spiral around the empty paper towel tube. Insert a toothpick or a wooden skewer piece in each hole. Cut off a piece of the paper bag and attach it to one end of the tube with a rubber band. Pour popping corn, rice, or sand in the tube. Close off the other end of the tube using another piece of the bag and a rubber band. Finally, overturn the tube. As the grains slide down the tube, they will produce a rain-like sound.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Educ-pairs-Rain
(Open educ-pairs-Rain) Print. Children must draw a line between identical illustrations or color them using the same color. For durable, eco-friendly use, laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Educ-intruder-Rain
(Open educ-intruder-Rain) Print and laminate. Children must identify the six (6) intruders.

Educ-trace-Rain
(Open educ-trace-Rain) Print for each child. Children must trace the dotted lines using the right color.

Educ-same and different-Rain
(Open educ-same and different-Rain) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must circle the illustration which is different in each row.

Magnifying glass game-Rain
(Open magnifying glass game-Rain) Print and laminate the board game and the cards. Cut them out and store them in a Ziploc bag. Children pick a card and search for the item on the board game using a magnifying glass. Once they have found the item, they deposit it in the correct square on the board game.

Weather bingo
(Open bingo-Weather) Print and laminate. Play bingo with your group.

Puzzles-Weather
(Open puzzles-Rain) Print, laminate and cut out the pieces. Children must place the pieces to recreate the scene.

Hunt and seek-Weather
(Open hunt and seek-Weather) Print and laminate. Children pick a card and search for the item in the scene.

Snakes and ladders-Weather
(Open snakes and ladders-Weather) Print and laminate. Use a die and small figurines as playing pieces.

Story and memory game-Weather
(Open story and memory game-Weather) Print, cut out, and laminate the pictures. Place the cards face down on the floor. Children pick three cards and invent a story in relation to the illustrations. Trick: To solidify the cards, glue each illustration on the top of a frozen juice can. Variation: Print the pictures twice and use as a memory game.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Dress-up dolls-Rain
(Open dress-up dolls-Rain) Print and laminate. Children will have fun dressing the doll different ways.

It's raining!
Deposit raincoats, ponchos, rubber boots, and umbrellas in your role play area. Children will enjoy pretending that it is raining indoors. Let them build a shelter with blankets or pretend to walk under imaginary rain.

Good weather, bad weather
Draw a cloud on a blue piece of construction paper and a sun on a yellow piece of construction paper. With help from their parents, children must find pictures of items which correspond to good weather and bad weather in magazines and catalogues. Examples of items for bad weather are: raincoats, umbrella, rubber boots, etc. Examples of items for good weather are: bathing suits, swimming pool, shorts, t-shirts, etc. During circle time, have children present the pictures they found and associate them to the cloud (bad weather) or to the sun (good weather).

Shelter from the rain
Invite children to use building blocks to create a shelter from the rain.

Weather forecast
Each day, give a different child the chance to be the weather forecaster. Help the child describe the day's weather. Watch a televised weather forecast with your group or ask parents to watch the weather channel with their child. This will help children understand how to present the day's weather.

EARLY SCIENCE/MANIPULATION/EXPLORATION

A puddle in a bag
Pour approximately a ½ cup of water in a Ziploc bag and seal it. Using adhesive tape, stick the bag in a window on a sunny day and wait a few hours. Use the bag to explain the water cycle to your group. You may also use the pictures available in this theme.

I am making rain
Give each child a small bowl and an eyedropper. You will also need a large container filled with a mixture of water and blue food coloring. Children must fill their eyedropper with blue water and empty it, one drop at a time like rain, in their bowl.

I am playing in the water
Fill your water table or a large container with water and let children play in it. Add small plastic containers with holes punched in the bottom or toys designed specifically for water play. Children will enjoy creating their own rain and discovering how small holes produce gentle rain while larger holes are great for heavier rain.

White clouds
Deposit a dark-coloured piece of plastic on the floor (a blue shower curtain works well) and give each child a small amount of whipped cream. Let them spread the whipped cream over the plastic to create large white clouds.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

Blue sky and clouds
Serve blue Jell-O and whipped cream at snack time. Tell children they are eating bites of blue sky and clouds.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Puppets-Rain
(Open puppets-Rain) Print the puppet models on heavy cardboard. Invite children to cut them out and decorate them with various materials. Attach a Popsicle stick to the back of each model to create a puppet.

Stencils-Rain
(Open stencils-Rain) Print and cut out the stencils. Children can use them to trace or paint items related to the theme.

My umbrella
(Open my umbrella) Print the model and assemble it. Attach a pipe cleaner or a drinking straw to represent the handle. Children can decorate their umbrella as they wish by adding color, glitter, confetti, pompoms, etc.

Mandalas-Rain
(Open mandalas-Rain) Print for each child. Children must color the mandalas using the colors of their choice.

Rain gauge
You will need a clean and empty 2-litre soda bottle. Cut the top off the bottle. Use a ruler to mark a scale on the bottle using a permanent marker. Deposit tiny pebbles or stones in the bottom of the bottle so that it stands upright. Deposit your bottle outside on a rainy day. With your group, observe the quantity of rain collected.

Meteorological mobile
(Open meteorological mobile) Print. Trace the shapes on heavy cardboard or on different types of paper. Cut them out and decorate them. Punch holes in the figure eight where indicated and hang the shapes with different lengths of ribbon or string.

Umbrella
Give each child an umbrella. Let them decorate it with paint, tissue paper, wiggly eyes, or any other material you have on hand. Hang the umbrellas from the ceiling during your theme.

Cloud
(Open cloud) Print for each child. Have children glue a variety of textures on their cloud: cotton balls, tissues, white felt, etc.

My rainbow
On waxed paper (for finger painting), deposit drops of diluted poster paint. Give each child a drinking straw. They must blow on the paint. Repeat using different colors of the rainbow.

The return of the sun
(Open models-circles) Trace the circles on yellow and orange construction paper. The larger circle should be traced on orange paper and the smaller circle should be traced on yellow paper or vice versa. Children cut out the circles and glue the smaller one on the larger one. When they are done, have them cut strips of construction paper to represent the sun's rays. These rays can be glued around the sun. If they wish, they may draw a face on their sun too.

Miniature umbrellas
Use tiny white muffin liners to make miniature umbrellas. Children can color or decorate them. When they are done, help them insert pipe cleaners in the centre of each muffin liner.

CREATIVE COLORING

(Open creative coloring-Rain) Print for each child. Invite children to complete the drawing.

COMPLETE THE DRAWING
(Open complete the drawing-Rain) Print for each child. Have them complete the missing portions of the drawing.

I AM LEARNING TO DRAW
(Open I am learning to draw-Rain) Print and laminate the step by step page. Invite children to practice their drawing technique step by step and then let them try reproducing the picture on their own.

COLORING PAGES

(Open coloring pages theme-Rain) Print for each child.

SONGS & RHYMES

The rain

by: Patricia Morrison

sung to: London bridge is falling down

How the rain is falling down
Falling down, falling down
How the rain is falling down
Pitter-patter

Grab your raincoat and your boots
And your boots, and your boots
Grab your raincoat and your boots
And your umbrella

Let's go splashing in the rain
In the rain, in the rain
Let's go splashing in the rain
And the puddle

Have fun!

The Educatall team