Background information:

Despite our very modern lives - technology, social media, instant access to just about everything - our lives are still very much connected to the natural world. And there’s nothing like a bit of wild weather to remind us of that.

One of the consequences of climate change is predicted to be increases in both frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as wild storms and long hot spells. While the concepts of climate change and the greenhouse effect will probably be a little complex for your children, understanding weather and its relationship to our environment is a good place to start.

Our lives are still very much dependent on the weather and the seasons, and the opportunities that the changes in weather and season provide. We rely on rain for water and for growing food and we rely on sunshine for growing food. Seasonal changes in temperature and weather are messages to our natural environment to begin pollinating, hibernation, migration and growing flowers and fruit; without these changes our natural environment would cease to exist.

Climate change poses a very real threat to the health of our environment: changes in weather patterns and temperature mean that our environment receives mixed and confused messages about when to begin the natural processes of hibernation and migration etc. This in turn means that our plants and animals are missing the opportunities to breed or nest or pollinate when they need to be, risking not only their own survival but also the survival of those who depend upon them.

There are things that we can do to help fight climate change:

Leave the car at home when you can.
Be conscious of your energy use at home and work.
Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Take the stairs.
Dress for the weather instead of using a fan or heater.

Definitions:

Climate change - When we talk about ‘climate change’ we’re talking about the changes to our climate over long periods of time. It doesn’t just mean having a wet summer or having a couple of really blowy days every now and then; climate change means long-term changes to the climate that affects rain patterns or temperatures. Why is it happening? Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to the human-caused greenhouse effect. Higher atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, cause more heat to be trapped. As a result the lower atmosphere warms. This is known as the enhanced greenhouse effect. Basically, we’re making too much pollution for the earth to deal with naturally and we’re changing the state of our planet. The climate has experienced changes in the past. It may have been a meteor, or a volcano, or some other dramatic event thrown up by our planet (or one from afar), but never before have human activities been responsible for these changes. If it weren’t so disastrous it would almost be impressive
Greenhouse effect - The greenhouse effect is a good thing. Greenhouse gases in our atmosphere trap heat, warm our atmosphere and keep our Earth at a comfortable 15 degrees. Extra greenhouse gases are released when we dig up and burn fossil fuels. We mostly do this to generate energy for industry, our homes and schools. Burning fuel to transport us and our stuff around the place creates more greenhouse gas. Deforestation, burping and farting cows are also large contributors. These gases put more energy into our atmosphere and are starting to affect our climate with more intense weather events and increased temperatures.

New words for kids to learn:

Season
Weather

Activity: Weather and seasons

Ages - 0 to 2

What to do

Preparation: Gather a range of objects to get wet. Try to pick some objects that don’t look or feel very different when wet (such as a plastic cup or a metal spoon) and some objects that look and feel quite different when wet (such as a stone that changes colour, or beach glass, or fabric, or soil or sand). Try to include objects such as paper or bread that will be damaged or disintegrate with water. Also consider including an object like soap that will become very slippery when wet. You may want to experiment in advance to see what the changes to objects will be when they are wet.

Fill a tub with water and have some pouring cups close by. Show children the range of objects you have collected, explaining what each one is. Demonstrate with one object how things can look or feel different when wet. Ask children to touch the examine the object before and after it is wet.

Ask children to experiment with other objects: do they look different when? Do they feel different? What happens to things like paper and bread?

You could also pour some water on the ground surfaces outside: does concrete look different when wet? What about grass?

Provocations

I wonder what things will look different when wet?
I wonder what things will look the same when wet?
I wonder what things will be slippery when wet?
I wonder what things will fall apart when wet?

Possible lines of development

Dry the objects out in the sun - do they look different from how they first looked? Has the water changed them? Which ones warm up in the sun?
Water safety.
Watering the plants in the garden - plants get thirsty too!

Ages - 2 to 3

What to do

Preparation: Gather a range of objects to get wet. Try to pick some objects that don’t look or feel very different when wet (such as a plastic cup or a metal spoon) and some objects that look and feel quite different when wet (such as a stone that changes colour, or beach glass, or fabric, or soil or sand). Try to include objects such as paper or bread that will be damaged or disintegrate with water. Also consider including an object like soap that will become very slippery when wet. You may want to experiment in advance to see what the changes to objects will be when they are wet.

Begin by asking children to share what they know about the rain: when does it rain? How do we know when it will rain? What do we need to wear when it is raining? How does the rain change the garden? Do things outside look different after it has rained?

Fill a tub with water and have some pouring cups close by. Show children the range of objects you have collected, explaining what each one is. Demonstrate with one object how things can look or feel different when wet. Ask children to touch the examine the object before and after it is wet.

Ask children to experiment with other objects: do they look different when? Do they feel different? What happens to things like paper and bread?

You could also pour some water on the ground surfaces outside: does concrete look different when wet? What about grass?

Provocations

I wonder when it rains? I wonder how we know when it will rain?
I wonder what we need to wear when it is raining?
I wonder if things outside look different after it has rained?
I wonder what things will look different when wet?
I wonder what things will look the same when wet?
I wonder what things will be slippery when wet?
I wonder what things will fall apart when wet?

Possible lines of development

Dry the objects out in the sun - do they look different from how they first looked? Has the water changed them? Which ones warm up in the sun?
Water safety.
Where do animals go when it rains? Build a nesting box or a bug house to provide animals in the yard with shelter.

Ages - 3 to 5

What to do

Using the Weather and seasons flashcards as prompts ask children to share what they know about the weather and seasons.

With each flashcard ask children the following questions: What type of weather is this? What season will you find this weather in? What does this weather mean for you (i.e. can you play outside in this weather? What special clothes do you have to wear in this weather)?

Once complete, engage children in one of the following role-play exercise:

Children should act the part of one animal that you might find in your centre yard or at home (including birds and insects). Your role is to be the seasons and the weather, and the animals should respond to the different types of weather - seeking shelter, drying off and getting warm, climbing down from windy trees etc. “It is now autumn and it is starting to get windy…”
The life of a raindrop - ask children to act the part of a raindrop, falling from the sky, landing in a puddle, flowing into a creek or river, flowing out to sea, being evaporated back into the clouds.

Provocations

I wonder what type of weather this is?
I wonder what season you can find this weather in?
I wonder what this weather means to us (can we play outside, what do we have to wear)?
I wonder how plants and animals feel about this weather?

Possible lines of development

Experiment with getting different objects wet - see activities for ages 0 to 3 above.
Where do animals go when it rains? Build a nesting box or a bug house to provide animals in the yard with shelter.
Storm safety/sun safety.

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenge and persisting when difficulty arises
Well being	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Switch it off. Practice a switch-off regime, encouraging children to monitor the switching off of lights and appliances when not in use.
Save water. Put a large bucket in the sand pit to fill with water and have a no refill policy. Ask children to put left over drinking water onto pot plants.
Save energy. Use cold water wherever possible.

Weather and Seasons

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