Fizz, Boom, Read! Preschool Story Time Starter: Weather

This is my fourth story time starter inspired by the Fizz, Boom, Read! summer reading theme. Today's post is all about weather. (Previous posts focused on the five senses, temperature, and living vs. non-living things.)

Miss Katie's Recommended Books

• What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda DeWitt
  This is probably not a book to read in its entirety, but sharing parts of it will help introduce the topic and share some interesting science vocabulary.
• The Snow Globe Family by Jane O'Connor
  This is really more of a fanciful story than a true scientific exploration of weather, but kids love the idea of parallel snowstorms happening outside the house and inside a snow globe as well.
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
  This book opens up a nice opportunity to talk about why we need rain, and what happens when there isn't enough. It's also fun to make the story interactive by asking the kids to repeat the refrain along with you. It's also a good one for retelling if you have some flannel board pieces on hand to assist. 

Other Possible Books

• Blue Sky by Audrey Wood
• BOOM!: Big, Big Thunder & One Small Dog by Mary Lyn Ray
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• I Love the Rain by Margaret Park Bridges
• Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky
• Rain by Robert Kalan
• Rainy Day! by Patricia Lakin
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• The Storm Book by Charlotte Zolotow
• When it Starts to Snow by Phillis Gershator

Songs & Rhymes

• Song: Boots by the Laurie Berkner Band
  This is one of the few songs for which I would suggest using the recording. It's a bit tricky to sing it yourself and dance around. The only exception would be if you can play it on guitar or ukulele.
• Song: I Can Sing a Rainbow
  This can be a fun sing-along. Make it interactive by passing out colored flags for the kids to wave as they sing it. I like to play this on the ukulele.
• Song: I Like to See the Raindrops Fall
  This song to the tune of Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush uses simple actions to recreate a storm. Kids of all ages love to sing this one!
• Rhyme: Snowman, Snowman (based on Book Bear, Book Bear)
  Pretend to be snowmen with this simple action rhyme that is also good for quieting wild groups between books.
• Rhyme: The Wind is Full of Tricks Today
  I have never used this rhyme myself, but the librarian from King County who performs it on their Wiki makes me want to try it! (The link above is to her video.)

Games & Activities

• Flannel Board Sorting Game: What do we wear in this weather?
  Sort articles of clothing according to the weather in which they would be appropriate to wear. Kizclub has clipart sets for clothing and weather that make useful templates. Instead of a flannel board, you could also sort the items onto a long clothesline with sections for sunny days, rainy days, snowy days, etc.
• Game: Drip, Drip, Drop
  Play this fun game based on Duck, Duck, Goose, which comes from Mailbox magazine.

Visit these Sites for More Ideas

• Weather from Harris County Public Library
• Weather posts from SLC Book Boy
• Weather - Science Storytime from the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California
• Weather Storytimes at Never Shushed