Make Your Own Weather Wheel

This sweet activity was requested by a few of our members and comes from our October Preschool/Kindergarten Ebook. 

If you make one, please share it with us. We have many ways for you to share with our community: Our Blog, Facebook Page, Discussion Group and by tagging us on Instagram!

Creating a Weather Chart or Weather Wheel

Supplies Needed:

Large Piece of Cardboard

Cardboard to Cut Out Arrows

Watercolor Pencils/Markers

Brads

Stick

Yarn/Raffia

Scissors

This is a wonderful time of year to introduce a Weather Wheel or Weather Chart to your circle time. Children will delight in looking out the window each morning to determine what type of weather is in store for the day. You can create your Weather Chart with cardboard, watercolor pencils, moving arrows (by using a brad to attach), colorful circles in the center and a drawing of the Sun, Rain, Snow and Clouds. Get creative and allow your children to participate in the process. You may like to add two arrows for those days that the weather is more than one element. Hang your chart with raffia and a stick found on your nature walk that day and keep it on the wall where you do circle time each morning.  Be sure to use your chart as you do your morning blessing which signifies what the weather is each day.

May Day Crowns and Circle Time

May Day Crowns

Although I prefer to use all natural materials and real flowers, I wanted to be sure the children could take these special crowns home to keep for playtime.  

In this case I used artificial flowers with a wire backing, ribbon and colored bells.  

To make these easy crowns simply measure them around the child's head and make a knot in the back leaving ribbon hanging in length. 

Then, adhere the flowers onto the crown.  In our case, we simply twisted the wire backing around the ribbon but if you do not have this type of flower just glue or sew the flowers on.  

Next each child helped to string the bells onto the back ribbon hanging and we secured by tying a knot at the end.  

Maypole Song

(If you do not have a Maypole you can simply hold hands in a circle and move around while singing.)

Round the Maypole we are going,

On a holiday,

Round the Maypole we are going,

This is what we say,

All the colors we are learning,

In the rainbow gay,

So, back and forth we all are dancing,

In the merry May.  

May Day Circle

(this circle can be shared the entire first week of May)

Each child receives a color to be their "name" for this game:  Violet, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red and so on.  The children join hands in a circle (their may day crowns or ribbons can be their special color as a reminder if you plan ahead).  The teacher is Mother Rainbow.  

Mother Rainbow says:

"I count my children before I go.  Learn the colors of my rainbow."

She taps one child on the head and calls them by "name":

"*Violet* won't you play this game today?  Pick a friend and run away."

The chosen child (in this case Violet) must go up to another child and name her color and say:

"I choose *Blue* to come with me.  Off we go beneath the tree."

(this verse can be changed but if you have a nice tree the children can sit beneath it and prepare for snack or a lesson as they wait.)

Continue on until all children have left the circle.  If the number of children does not work out, Mother Rainbow can pair up with the last child and say the last verse instead of a child.  

If you are looking for even more ideas this week, don't miss our one day sale which ends tomorrow:

50% Off our Late Spring Festivals E-Book which includes amazing ideas for May Day and Mother's Day as well as other late spring festival celebrations. 

Happy May Day to You!