Shoes, Matching, & Races - Exploring Weather
Invite your students to join you for a little weather fun with this seasonal weather race! Perfect for a rainy day {and when your students are pining for warmer spring weather}, it might take a bit to get all your materials collected, but the result will be so much fun!
Things to Collect
Winter
- Adult winter coat
- Knit hat
- Gloves or mittens
- Scarf
- Adult snow boots
Spring
- Adult rain coat
- Rain hat
- Umbrella
- Adult rubber rain boots or galoshes
Summer
- Adult tank top
- Swim goggles
- Water wings
- Inflatable swim ring
- Adult water shoes or flippers
Fall
- Adult sweater
- Baseball cap
- Adult windbreaker jacket
- Adult windbreaker pants
- Adult tennis shoes
Dressing Appropriately for the Weather
Once you have the gear, there are several fun ways you an incorporate it into your weather unit.
- Surprise your students by 'dressing up' {changing your costume behind a fabric panel or easel} and have them guess what season your apparel is appropriate for. Discuss how seasonal clothing choices differ in other parts of the world. For example, when summer arrives in the Northeast United States, people in Australia are getting ready for winter and probably wouldn't be wearing tank tops or bathing suits!
- Prepare a tote for each seasonal outfit, adding them to the pretend play corner for students to use during your weather unit.
- Use the apparel to play a fun matching game {you'll have to collect several sets of each outfit, but it's worth the effort!}. Divide your students into teams of four or five. Call out a season and see which team can outfit one of their members with the correct outfit the fastest. For a fun gross motor extension, consider having students try to complete a small obstacle course/challenge {i.e. when "spring" is called, the first group to dress their teammate in the rain gear and have one student successfully balance the umbrella on their open palm or "jump in puddles" along the length of the classroom, is the winner of the round, etc.}.
Your kiddos are sure to love the chance to dress up and even compete with this fun weather activity!
