March is for Mini Meteorologists!

March is such a crazy month for weather in Colorado Springs! I hear that all the time! It is supposed to feel like Spring, yet we see all different shades of the weather. From hail, fog, SNOW, rain, sun, and of course those super windy days. March really can throw you through a whirlwind of different weather patterns. This can be such a great time to engage your preschooler and really dig into learning all about the weather.

Learning about the weather at home is something super easy for parents to do. The topic of the weather is something we are all talking about daily. It comes up in many conversations throughout our day and sharing this conversation and making it fun with your preschooler is a great way to engage in some fun at home science activities.

Start by creating a weather calendar.

I start by printing a blank calendar and then I have my child fill in the month and numbers on his own by tracing what I have written (that is where he is at currently in his stage of writing). You could easily make this easier by writing it yourself as your child follows along or harder by letting your child write the Month and numbers all on their own. So, once you have your calendar all set up you can begin tracking the weather for each day.

Go outside!

Talk about what your child sees, feels, and hears. So many great conversations can be taking place while you are doing this. Decide on what the weather is for the day and then mark it on your weather calendar. Encourage your child to draw and write/trace the weather for each day in March. As you are getting through the month you can discuss patterns that they see and make predictions for what they think the next day’s weather will be.

Create Fun Experiments

Creating fun science experiments for each type of weather is another way to explore the weather elements. This will keep your family busy on the weekends for sure! Here are a few ideas to get you going, although there are tons more if you do a quick search online.

Sunny-Sunblock experiment

Use black construction paper and sunscreen. Have your child put sunscreen on their finger and draw a sun. Then hang the piece of paper up in a sunlit window for the day. At the end of the day, check to see what has happened to the piece of paper! This is a great time to talk about the importance of sunscreen as well.

Rainy

Create your own indoor rain cloud in a jar. All you need is a large jar, shaving cream, and food coloring. Fill the jar with water until it’s about ¾ full, then squirt shaving cream(cloud) on top of the water. Squirt the coloring on top of the shaving cream cloud a few times, get ready for your kiddo to be amazed!

Snowy

Examine the snow! The put a black piece of paper in the freezer, when it snows have your child catch the snow on the paper and examine the snowflakes with a magnifying glass. Measure the snow with your child. Fill a bucket super full to the top, then allow your child to watch it as it slowly melts away. Your child will be amazed at the magic disappearing act and be impressed with how little water remains compared to how much snow you collected.

These are just a few simple and easy ideas to get you started with your mini meteorologist! Kids love examining the weather, talking about it, and doing hands on activities! Make it a fun time for the family and dig deep this month to explore the various elements of weather!

Ms. Whitney
Lead Prekindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator