Spring is HERE! This season is easily my favorite season of the year (though fall is a close second). I love seeing plants and wildlife wake up and flourish again! To celebrate this wonderful time of the year, I have a whole month dedicated to all things spring! To kick off this month, I started with a rain-themed preschool lesson. Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean we can’t play!
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Science – Make Your Own Rain!
The water cycle is a fascinating subject! To simplify things, water goes through three stages during the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Our Rain in a Bag activity will simulate ALL three!
For this activity, you will need a gallon zipper bag, a permanent marker, and water!
After drawing the diagram on the bag, fill the bag with a cup of water.
Securely hang the bag in a window or exterior post. Then wait for the process to start!
As the experiment progresses, you will be able to see the bag become ‘cloudy’ with water vapor. Towards the top of the bag, you will notice the vapors condensing into tiny droplets. Finally, when the droplets are large enough, they will run down the bag to the bottom; starting the process over.
Language – Raindrop Letters and Spelling
Studies have shown that teaching phonics to emergent readers can help children learn to associate letters and the sounds they make; which results in children spelling better.
This activity can be used in multiple ways! You can use this activity to practice your phonics. Match the letters to the images. For example, the cloud with an image of a hat is matched with the raindrop with the letter “H”.
For children that need a little more challenge, see if they can sound out the word and practice spelling!
I created this link to be a template link to Canva, so that you can change the images to something that might be easier for your child.
Art – Water Resistant Umbrella Painting
This activity requires a little bit of prep work.
You will need
- Wax paper/parchment paper
- Umbrella Template
- tape/glue
- White Printer paper/white butcher paper
- Watery paints
- Dropper
Start by creating an umbrella on your wax paper. Cut out the umbrella and glue it on top of the white printer paper.
Using the watery paints, your child will practice their fine motor skills while dropping paint onto the top of their paper (this activity is best done at an angle or on a vertical surface).
As the watery paint (raindrops) drip down the paper, the painted colors will not stick to the wax paper, leaving a white umbrella while the rest of the paper is raindrops!
Math – Raindrop measuring
Are you ready to practice number recognition and counting?
For this activity, you will need
- Raindrop numbers (black/white raindrops and blue raindrops provided)
- Index cards
Print out the raindrop numbers and glue them onto the index cards. I normally like to take this a step further and laminate the index cards with the raindrops to save them for future use…some might consider me a hoarder.
Next, use the numbered raindrops to measure the height of different items around the house.
Some fun rain-themed items you can measure are
- Rainboots
- An umbrella
- A raincoat
You can measure your child/children and compare the heights too!
Music – Rain Sticks
While I surfed Pinterest, I came across these DIY Rain Sticks on Gift of Curiosity! The design is simple, and children can easily help make their own instruments!
Please let me know what you think about this rain-themed preschool lesson! Did you and your child enjoy this themed activity? Let me know in the comments! Just a quick reminder, all children develop at their own unique pace. If you are concerned about developmental delays, it is best to seek advice from your child’s doctor. These activities are designed to be done with a parent. Please supervise your child while these activities are being done!