Jane Sandwood
Teacher | Blogger | Mom

Are you often perplexed by how your children can happily play in puddles and look at rainbows yet are seemingly scared of thunder and lightning at the same time? With the USA being rated one of the countries with the most inclement weather in the world according to USA Today, it is important to teach our children about weather from a young age. The greater understanding a child has of the weather, the less inclined he is to fear it and the more curious he will become about the natural world. While weather-related studies generally form part of the school curriculum, there are a number of fun weather-related projects such as the following that you can engage in with your children in the comfort of your own home.

Set up a home weather station

Setting up a weather station within your home will provide you with ample opportunity to track the weather on a daily basis. If possible, set aside a space outside of your home that will afford your children a hands-on experience in terms of collecting weather-related data.  Help them draw up a brightly-colored, fun weather chart and record daily temperatures, wind direction, precipitation and any inclement weather conditions that may arise. The internet is inundated with nifty DIY instructionals to make your own barometer, weather vane, and rain gauge to add to your weather station to help you collect relevant data.

Watch or read the weather forecast together

Set aside some time each day to watch or read the local weather report with your children. If you don’t have the paper delivered to your doorstep, check the internet as most newspapers post their weather reports online. Encourage your children to ask questions and share interesting stories pertaining to the weather from your own childhood with them. Make a game out of guessing the temperature for the next day prior to each weather forecast, awarding points for the closest guesses with a small prize allocated to the winner at the end of every week.

Make weather-related crafts

Doing arts and crafts with your children is always a special, fun way to bond. One way to teach your children more about the weather is to make weather-related crafts. Kites and pinwheels are both easy to make and can produce hours of fun on a windy day. Another wonderful wind-powered craft is a wind chime that can be made of anything from painted tin cans to shells to old spoons and forks. If you and your children like the sound of rain you will love making beautiful rain sticks that will allow you to hear the rain at any time without getting wet. Visit your local library for books filled with crafty ideas or search online for easy weather-related projects.

By teaching your children about the weather you will not only get to spend quality time with them but will also be actively involved in their education. Our children grow up so fast and tend to spend more time at school than they do at home, necessitating us to make that extra effort to be as involved in their daily lives as we can possibly be.

About Jane Sandwood

Jane has been a freelance writer and editor for over 10 years. She has written for both digital and print across a wide variety of fields. Her main interest is exploring how people can improve their health and well being in their everyday life. And when she isn’t writing, Jane can often be found with her nose in a good book, at the gym or just spending quality time with her family.

View all posts by Jane Sandwood here.

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