Cloud Preschool Lesson Plan

Clouds are in our skies throughout the seasons and in different geographical locations. These puffy visions in the sky contain ever changing looks and their connections to weather make them a fun learning choice for a preschool lesson plan. Clouds can be discussed in a preschool curriculum for a long stretch of time or be apart of other themes such as weather and seasons. The following article suggests some cloud facts, songs, crafts, and preschool book suggestions for a cloud theme.

Introduce a Cloud Theme at Circle Time

To begin a theme about clouds; introduce the topic at circle time. You could ask preschool children some fun questions like:


•"Do you think we could walk on clouds?"
•"How do you think they get there?"
•"Are there different kinds of clouds?"
•"What colors have you seen when looking at clouds?"

The answers that come out of the children will be entertaining and knowledgeable. The answers can be the starting point for the learning process and will work well for a cloud display in the classroom for all to view. The following blogger shows how her class turned the entire room into a cloud display:

From Our Kindergarten Journey Blog

Cloud Facts for Children


•Clouds are made of many tiny droplets of water or ice crystals.
•There are three different kinds of clouds (the names are tricky, but pictures of the different clouds would help show the children): Stratus, Cirrus and Cumulus.
•Clouds bring us shade and help protect the earth from getting cold.
•Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun.
•They move with the wind




Story for a Cloud Preschool Theme
   
 Little Cloud by Eric Carle, which also lends itself very well to a felt story.

                                


Cloud Preschool Crafts

1) Decorating Cloud Shape

One idea is to cut out basic shapes of clouds, and allow the children to glue cotton balls onto the cloud. Illustrate to the children how to pull the cotton ball apart to make different textures. These clouds can then be glued onto blue construction paper. This art project can be expanded by having items on the ground, such as trees and houses and the sun in the sky. Or, you could find a question to ask the children about clouds and write the children's answers onto their cloud picture such as, "I think clouds feel like....?"

                                             I think clouds feel like....

2) Children Creating Their Own Cloud

Another idea is to allow children to create their own cloud shapes. This activity works very well with older preschool children who have mastered their fine motor skills with scissors and drawing. Before the craft activity, the children could go outside to look at how clouds in the sky can look like different things with a little imagination. Ask the children, "what do the clouds look like?" Then the children can draw onto a white paper what they saw. Finally, they can cut out their shapes and glue onto paper.

3) Painting with Black and White

Another craft idea for a cloud preschool lesson plan is to make rainy clouds. The children can paint grey clouds and then use their fingerprints for rain, or fingerpaint creations can be cut into clouds.

From teachpreschool.Org

4. Cloud Mobiles

Using old CDs, children can decorate their shape to create a cloud mobile

From crafts.preschoolrock.com

Preschool Song/Poem about Clouds



This simple poem about clouds can be used with felts or foam shapes of clouds or turned into a song with a simple melody:


I am a cloud in the sky,
Floating past you, way up high.
I am a cloud, in the sky
Watch me change before your eyes.


This following song is to the tune of London Bridge and lyrics can be replaced very easily with this tune:


Clouds are drifting in the sky, in the sky, in the sky
Clouds are drifting in the sky, oh how quickly.
Clouds are turning orange and pink, orange and pink, orange and pink
Clouds are turning orange and pink, what a sunset!
Clouds are low down in the sky, in the sky, in the sky
Cloud are low down in the sky, we have some fog.
Clouds are turning dark and grey, dark and grey, dark and grey
Clouds are turning dark and grey, here comes a storm.



Further Reading Suggestions

Rain Felt Board Ideas

Online Early Childhood Workshops with Circle of Ideas 

Snow and Ice Preschool Activities

Activities surrounding ice for a preschool curriculum are appropriate during the winter season as many young children are experiencing these weather conditions at this time of the year. Bringing the weather inside to the classroom environment as well as bringing an indoor activity, like painting, outside is a fun way for preschoolers to learn and explore the cold sensations of ice and snow. In addition, even if the weather is warm outdoors, the ice can be made in the freezer for children to enjoy. The following article will present some craft, science and sensory activities for an early childhood setting.

Snow Inside a Sensory Table

A sensory table is commonly used for sand or water, but it can provide young children with hands-on experiences and learning opportunities with a variety of material. Snow can be brought into a sensory table from the outside along with pails and shovels. In addition, play dough and/or sand molds can be used with the snow to create shapes. The teacher can facilitate a learning process by asking open ended questions, such as why do you think the snow is melting?" and "What is the snow melting into?" and so forth.

Ice Exploration in a Sensory Table

Ice shapes made in a freezer, or placed outside overnight if weather is below freezing, with different shaped containers is a gret activity for the winter season during an ice and snow theme. A few drops of food coloring can be placed in with the water to make different color ice shapes. Placing little toys inside can be enjoyable for young children as well. The containers should have a wide opening to allow the shapes to easily fall out into the sensory tables. When all the ice formations are created and emptied into the sensory table, tools can be placed inside the table as well to allow children to explore the ice while fostering fine motor skills, such as spray bottles of water, salt shakers, and eye droppers


Check out these amazing sculptures from a preschool website:

From Dunluce Preschool Website

Painting with Ice

Ice can be used instead of a paintbrush to create a unique way of making art. The ice brushes are created by using ice popsicles, which the caregiver can make by using store bought popsicle trays filled with water. When the ice sticks are ready, then each child will be provided a piece of paper, preferably finger painting paper which is shiny and firm enough to absorb liquid. Powder paint is then shaken onto the paper and the children can use the water melting from their ice to create the paint and picture.

Creating Art Outside in Winter

There are a variety of ways to create art outside with the winter weather. One way is to provide children with paint pucks and paintbrushes outside to paint ice, hard snow or the snowman! Another idea is to fill spray bottles with color water made with a some drops of food coloring. The spray bottles will leave color designs on the white snow.This activity does leave the the hands cold, so it is a good idea to warm up inside right after the creative fun.

Ice and Salt Science Experiment

A science tray filled with ice cubes and a salt shaker provides young children an opportunity to explore the two elements together, and determine what happens to the ice when salt is placed onto it. This can turn into a lengthier science activity as predictions by each child and then the results are recorded. Furthermore, the preschoolers can learn that salt is used on our roads and sidewalks to melt the ice for safety reasons.



FURTHER RESOURCES:   Winter Felt Board Ideas