Weather is constantly changing and is always worthy of study.
Studying weather makes a wonderful addition to homeschool science. In life, we constantly talk about the weather, plan our day around the weather, use the weather to tell us how to dress, and associate certain weather with certain holidays. Learning about the weather is fun and interesting for all ages, from preschool through high school.
Preschool
- Set up an observation area in your home, preferably by a window. Take time every day to observe the weather with your child. Talk about what you see outside – can you see blue sky, are there clouds, are the trees blowing in the wind, does it look hot or cold outside?
- Set up a “Today’s Weather” section on a bulletin board or windowsill. Use simple weather shapes cut from magazines, foam, or construction paper. Sometimes these shapes can be found in light, wooden form at craft stores. Keep it simple: sun=sunny, cloud=cloudy, umbrella=rain, snowflake=snow or cold, etc…
- Go outside to feel the weather. Talk about hot/warm/cool/cold. Observe how the weather affects the trees, plants, and flowers.
Elementary
- Like preschool, observe the weather daily. Use simple charts for younger elementary students to track the weather. There is a good one at Enchanted Learning, or you can make your own. Record weather data in graphs. Younger students can do simple pictographs, tracking how many sunny days, rainy days, snowy days, or cloudy days. Older students can chart the temperature using bar graphs or actually plotting graphs (If you use Saxon Math, this is part of your Meeting Book).
- There are many good books on weather and weather-related topics. Visit your local library or buy a few to add to your homeschool library.
- Set up a backyard observation area. The Weather Channel’s Weather Classroom shows you how. This site offers information for parents, students, and teachers on weather related topics. Print out student activities, make an interactive weather forecast, and find lesson plans on weather topics for grades K-10.
- Make a “Tornado in a Bottle”, or track a hurricane.
Middle/High School
- Go deep. Weather is a science, and one that has a lot of depth. WW2010, a site hosted by the University of Illinois, has some really excellent material for upper level students. The site covers four topics; Meteorology, Remote sensing, Reading Maps, and Projects and Activities. Each topic is broken down into several sections.
- Study weather map symbols. Watch your local weather forecast and identify the weather symbols on the maps used.
The copyright of the article Weather Lesson Plans in Homeschool Curricula is owned by Christine Alcott. Permission to republish Weather Lesson Plans in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
