Preschool Meteorology

Bubbles in the Wind

Supplies:
Bubble mixture
a bubble Blower (preferably one that makes big bubbles)
A breezy day

Steps

1. Have preschoolers try to guess what direction the wind is coming from. Licking a finger may help your preschooler do this. You can also use a small flag.

2. Blow some large bubbles into the wind. You’ll want these bubbles to be big so they can be moved easily by the wind, but you won’t want them to be so big that they pop easily.

3. Have preschoolers observe the movement of the bubbles. If the direction of the wind is really volatile, it’s fun for preschoolers to copy the directions of a bubble.

Children often knows what the wind is and have seen it's affects as it blows their hair or in a storm as it blows the trees, but often have not taken specific time to observe things blowing in the wind. Through this experiment they can learn about the wind. How it comes from different directions and how it can change directions and how it can move things.

This will be very fun for the children and teach them a lot about wind and how even though we can't see it, we can feel it and see what it does.

Act. 2

Sun Painting

Use sun painting to create an easy art project that is not only fun, but educational as well. Using the sun, you'll create shapes onto construction paper that you and your preschooler can turn into art. With this fun preschool weather experiment your preschooler will learn about the strength of the sun and why their plastic toys tend to fade if left outside.

They will learn:

1. The suns rays (UV rays) are so strong that they can actually change the color of paper
2. The importance of wearing sun-block, hats and sunglasses on hot, bright days
3. Shapes

Supplies

1. A dark piece of construction paper such as black, green, blue, purple or a very dark red
2. A sunny spot
3. Thin cardboard that can be cut with scissors
4. A pen
5. Decorative supplies such as paints, chalk, crayons and markers, glitter, glue etc.

Steps

1.Draw a few simple shapes onto your thin carboard. Name the shapes as you do this, so your preschooler can learn them. If your preschooler is old enough and has enough dexterity, have them draw their own shapes.

2.Cut the cardboard along the drawings. Depending on the scissors and the thickness of the cardboard, an adult may need to do the cutting.

3. Place the piece of cardboard on your dark construction paper wherever you want the shape to be.

4. Leave your piece of construction paper out in the sun for at least a few hours. The sun will fade the paper not covered by the cardboard, leaving the dark colored shape behind.

5. Have your preschooler decorate their sun painting however they want. Let them use their imagination and any decorative supplies you have to create a special art project.

* It is best to start this activity as soon as the sun hits your sunny spot. Depending on your region, this preschool weather experiment may take a couple of days during the winter.