Weather Chart with Cards

When it comes to the weather, I like to give children a way of becoming more aware that there is usually multiple kinds of weather happening outside at any given time.

Usually it is not just sunny outside.  It might be sunny - and cold - and windy all at the same time.  

In the last few years I was bothered that they did not have a way to show this in the classroom as well as I would have liked, and there was no way for them to show that the weather could change during the day.  Not only that, but so much of what is out there has all kinds of busyness around it or on it and I find it, frankly, annoying.  This set is ISOLATED and clean.

We used this set throughout our last school year with GREAT success.

Weather Cards
click on picture to link to file

During Circle Time we will discuss what is the weather outside like this:

• A child is chosen (from our Helpful Hands) to come up with me to the Weather Board
• The child will hold up each card and say to the group "Is it (sunny)?"
• If the class agrees that it is (sunny) the helper will invite a different child to slide it into a pocket on the board
• We go on like that until we have chosen all the different kinds of weather for the day
• If during the day the weather changes, a child can add a card or change out a card if if they want

I do have to say that Rainbow comes around so infrequently that it is really special to be find a rainbow in the sky.  There is a bit of excitement when someone mentions that they have found a rainbow and are putting that card in.  Sometimes they will lament during circle time that it has been SUCH a long time since they saw a rainbow.

This is what our classroom Weather Chart looks like

Not a great photo - sorry

This is how I made it:

• 1 12X18 sheet of thick light blue felt
• 1 package of vinyl badge holders - vertical (you will need 4)
• 1 package of adhesive sheets - extra strength
• 1 cloth badge holder in black - horizontal - cut off string
• weather cards printed on cardstock, cut out and laminated (you have to cut the lamination close to the edge for the cards to fit in the badge holders)
• felt adhesive letters to make the words - what is the weather ?

1. cut out the adhesive sheets to just inside the border of all the badge holders - both vinyl and cloth
2. attach the adhesive sheets to the back of the vinyl badge holders
3. attach the adhesive sheet to the back of the cloth badge holder so that the clear front pocket can hold all the cards not in use
4. attach all four of the vinyl badge holders along the bottom edge of the blue felt - starting from the left, leaving room for the black holder
5. attach the cloth badge holder on the right hand side 
6. add the letters
7. Put all the cards in the black 'reserve' pocket

Last note - One day this year we actually had 5 kinds of weather all together.  For that day we put that last kind of weather as the front card in the reserve pocket.