Preschool Express Home Page
Market Station
Party Station
Toddler Station
Art Station
Game Station
Food Station
Discovery Station
Alphabet Station
Number Station
Skill Station
Music & Rhyme
Station
Story Station
Celebration Station
Inspiration Station
Theme Station
Learning Station
Advice Station
Meet Jean Warren
About this Site
Site Reviews
Send this Site
to a friend

 

 

THE MAGIC OF MAKING RAIN

Whether it's raining outside or not, here are some fun rain activities.

MAKING RAIN
Fill a jar with ice water and fasten its lid tightly.
Place the jar on a table.
After 30 minutes or so, have your child look at the jar.  What is on the outside of the jar?  Where did it come from?  Did it leak out of the jar?
Explain that the drops of water, did not come from inside the jar.  They came from the air around the jar.  When the warm air around the jar, touched the cold jar, water drops formed, just like rain is make when warm air is cooled.
 
EXPLORING RAIN WITH YOUR SENSES
Have your children explore rain with all of their five senses.
Gather some rain water and let your children taste it.
Let children smell outside while it is raining.
Have them hold out their hands and touch the rain, what does it feel like?
Listen to the rain, what does it sound like as it hits different objects?
Look outside when it is raining, how does the view differ from when the sun is out?

 
MAKING RAIN SOUNDS
Pull together a few items that could make various rain sounds and let your child experiment with them.

  • Thin pieces of aluminum.
  • Sprinkler bottles filled with water.
  • Marbles in a plastic jar with a lid.
  • Small pieces of safe metal that ping when struck.
  • Pots and pans to beat with a spoon.

Once your children gets the idea, they may want to search around your house looking for additional sound makers. You may also want to check out your local library to see if they have a tape that contains rain sounds.

The point here is not to just make noise but to try and find something that sounds like rain or thunder. When your child has found a good "rain sound" and a good "thunder sound" have him make his sounds as you read the following poem.

Rain, rain falling down,     (Make rain sound)
Making puddles on the ground.
Lightning flashing more and more.
Thunder crashing with a roar!     (Make thunder sound)
                        Jean Warren