Seasons & Climate

One book we read: On the Same Day in March 

Also, use a map that indicates different climates.  We used one from a book we found at the library.

See my blogpost about the moon, for ideas about teaching seasons.  It includes Scripture as well as activities.

Weather Scripture

Zechariah 10:1 "Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime, for it is the Lord who brings the thunderclouds."

1 Kings 17:1, 18:41-46  God tells Elijah it will not  rain for several years, and then God brings the rain in his timing.

Matthew 8:23-27 Jesus calms the storm.

Genesis 6-9 Noah and the flood

Psalm 19:4b-6  The sun, Psalm 104:19

Genesis 1:14-18 Sun, moon, and stars to mark seasons

Job 38:22-38  God's answer to Job, describing how God is in control of wind, snow, rain, lightening, etc.

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
    for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
    or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
    and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives,
    an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
    and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
    Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
    when the surface of the deep is frozen?

31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
    Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons[c]
    or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
    Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?

34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
    and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
    Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f]
    or gives the rooster understanding?[g]
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
    Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
    and the clods of earth stick together?

Snow

Read books

Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Cocoa Ice, by Diana Appelbaum

 

A much longer read, but a favorite of mine - The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Experiment

Make a "snowflake."  Use a pipe cleaner to make the shape of a snowflake.  Dip it into a solution of water mixed with borax.  Leave it overnight to crystalize.  For more details on this experiment, see our main text: Weather Thematic Units.

Cut out snowflake designs and discuss how they are different and similar from other students' snowflakes.

Actual observation

We live in Texas, so snow is not something we actually observe often, but for those who who live farther north, take an opportunity to make observations about snow, ice and cold.  What are different types of snow?  Can you see individual snowflakes?  Observe frost and ice on plants.

Water Cycle

• Vocabulary.  Precipitation, Evaporation, Condensation.  We stood up and had motions for these words.  Precipication - hands start high, rain down all the way to the floor.  Evaporation follows - from the floor all the way back up.  Condensation - clouds form - act like your are forming something with your hands.
• Discuss the water cycle and how clouds form.  A good resource is Magic School Bus.  I also just brought in several books from the library.  The Sonlight Series Discover & Do also has many activities to do with water.
• An experiment to make it rain.  You will need ice, boiling water, and a metal cookie sheet.  I have an electric kettle, which worked great for getting boiling water into the classroom.  We actually began the class by measuring 3 cups water into the kettle.  We turned it on at the beginning of the class to let it boil for most of the class time.  This boiling water was later used for the main experiment and then at the end of class, we measured how much water was left in the kettle to make an observation about evaporation.  The actual experiment:  Place ice on top of the cookie sheet.  Hold it over the boiling water.  Water droplets should form on the underside of the cookie sheet.  Point out that this water is not the ice leaking.  It is condensation.  When enough condensation forms, it rains back down.
• Observe the Actual Weather.  Throughout our weather study, we learned the tools of meterology.  So, for the water cycle, you can make a rain gauge, or at least discuss what one is.  You can also have the students start charting their own observations about the weather.  Our Saxon math curriculum often has them chart aspects of the weather.
• Discuss types of Precipitation.  We go into more detail in the weeks on snow and storms, but here mention rain, sleet, hail, snow, and other words for rain (like drizzle, mist, sprinkle, etc).  Finding a book with pictures of different types of precipitaion would also be helpful.

Here's a fun YouTube video about the Water Cycle:

Weather Resources

Cycle 2, second semester touches on weather.

I taught a ten week class for our co-op on Weather, for first and second graders.  Here is our basic syllabus, with activities and resources and ideas.

1. Water Cycle
2. Sun, Heat, Temperature
3. Wind, Air
4. Clouds, Atmosphere
5. Seasons, Climate
6. Cold, Snow
7. Storms, Lightening, Tornadoes
8. The Flood, and Rainbows
9. Erosion, Weathering
10. Review

My main text/resource for experiments, worksheets, and observation logs was Weather Thematic Unit (Thematic Units)

Each week, we

• learned new vocabulary
• read related Scripture
• looked at various books, or read a story
• conducted an experiment or completed an activity
• learned about instruments for measuring weather
• received an assignment and chart for observing the actual weather

Books

Videos

• Sonlight Science Discover & Do Videos - Level K has several experiments on air, Level 1 on water and Level 2 actually has a weather section. 
• Magic School Bus - the one on the water cycle and Inside a Hurricane