2012 Weather Tree: A How-To and Round-Up for a Simple Ongoing Science-Math and More Project

How is the sky-y?  Tell me, please.

The sky is (sunny).

S-U-N-N-Y.

S-U-N-N-Y

The weather is sunny….

As we walked along our street one day last week, we sang about the weather to the tune of There Was A Farmer…B-I-N-G-O.  We first noted how the sky was, then the temperature and, finally, the movement of the air.  Later, when we were back inside, my oldest colored a numbered leaf similar to the one he had colored on the first day of the year  – orange, gray and green – before taping it to our new Weather Tree.


What is a Weather Tree?

A Weather Tree is a simple concept that some believe sprang from the experience of an American woman who stayed with a Chinese family in 1920 and was responsible for creating their “Chart of the Lessening of the Cold”.  Basically, it is a way to visually track weather patterns throughout the year.  With obvious Math and Science concepts involved, and easy tie-ins to Art, Music and Language, Weather Trees can make a fantastic addition to any early-learning program.  Plus, they are fun for young children and you can make one – as we did – with materials that are on hand.

Making Our Weather Tree

To ease back into focused learning times after Christmas, we created parts of our Weather Tree over the course of a few days.  (It could well have easily been completed in one day, but we chose to stretch it out.)

On Day One, I presented the idea of a Weather Tree to Luke and Nina and shared some pictures of examples.  (See the links below.)  Then, we discussed how large we wanted our Weather Tree to be, where we should put it and what we could make it with.  We also went for a walk where we spent a good deal of time observing the weather and singing songs about it.

On Day Two, we opted to make a large weather tree on a doorway near where we often do our Morning Circle Time.  To do so, first, I sketched a simple outline of a tree with twelve large branches on brown paper bags which I had opened and taped together.  Meanwhile, Nina fetched as many shades of brown and tan crayons as she could find from our Crayon Pockets.  (I suggested grays, blacks, greens and other colors, too, but she wanted just browns and tans.)  Then, all three children set to work coloring in the outline and helping me to cut it out and tape it to a door.  Finally, we labeled each large branch in marker with the name of a month, chanting the months as we went.

On Day Three, we thought back to the Usbourne Weather book the children had recently read to think about what weather patterns we might like to chart and which words to include as vocabulary/descriptors for our Weather Tree Key.  Although the book explained that weather is caused by three main things (heat, water and air), the children decided they liked the ideas of sky, temperature and air movement.)  So, we went with those.  Luke then helped me pick out clipart to make Weather Tree Key Cards (which I will post soon as a printable).  Finally, Nina and Luke decided what color they wanted to use for each key word, creating our Key.  (We have since decided we should have created a “still” card and have assigned a key color for still air, too.)

On Day Four, we put together a Weather Tree supplies binder for using the tree and tucked it into our Morning Bag.  For now, the binder is the epitome of simplicity:  It contains print outs of leaves and colored pencils.  To make it, Luke selected the type of leaf he wanted for our tree (a maple) and helped me find a simple clip art picture for it online.  I then created 31 numbered leaves, which we printed out and slid into one pocket of a binder.  We slid a box of colored pencils in the other pocket.  Since then, we have transferred the pencils to a zippered 3-ring binder pencil case which I picked up at Family Dollar.

How We Use Our Weather Tree

Daily, in the morning, we observe the weather by looking out the window, stepping out the front door or taking a walk.  In doing so, we usually sing our Weather Song to the tune of BINGO, with a verse about the sky, the temperature and the air.  However, sometimes, we skip singing and simply talk about the weather.

After we sing, or when we have a chance if we are on the run, the children take turns taking out our supplies binder, finding the correctly numbered leaf for the date, checking the Weather Tree key for what colored pencils they need, coloring the leaf, cutting it out and taping it to the appropriate branch on the tree. 

Sometimes, we revisit the tree later in the day noting how the weather has changed, but not making a new leaf.

Sensory and Curriculum Connections

Sensory:  The media we used for our tree was simple – paper, colored pencils, etc.  However, one could use different textured media if they wished.  Plus, tape and glue can be a sensory experience in themselves.

Cutting, coloring and taping provide daily fine motor and pressure grading practice for the kids.

Stretching, bending and sometimes turning and twisting for vestibular/proprioceptive work comes with our Weather Tree Song and with putting the leaves on the tree.  We also get heavy work in during weather observation walks.

Auditory input is inherent in the walks and songs as well.

Faith and Character:  We talk about who made the world, and, likewise the weather.  I also see wonderful things happening as far as kindness and sharing goes as the children take turns being responsible for attaching a leaf to the tree each day and as they help each other read the key.

Reading:  Reading the key and the names of the months on the branches of the tree familiarize the children with sight words. Our Weather Tree Song introduces spelling.  I may also begin selecting a weather or seasonal related song or verse each month, which will be posted and recited or sung during our Weather Tree time.

Writing:  At this point, we are using pre-numbered leaves for our tree.  Eventually, we will do more numeral writing practice by having the children write their own numbers.  We will eventually have the children write their own numbers on the leaves.  Also, we may add in occasional copywork pages centered on the date, the weather or short weather-related poems.

Math:  Charting.  Numbers.  Counting.  Adding.  One-to-one correspondence.  Odd and Even numbers for turn taking.  All these and more are inherent in our current Weather Tree use.  I plan to add bar graphs, line graphs and sorting in later, too.

Practical Life:  Dressing appropriately for different weather patterns is a key practical life skill.  As we move along with our weather tree use, we will likely add some tie-in Montessori-inspired lessons on this.

Science and Technology:  Basic weather words and concepts, discussion about seasons and nature walks are currently a part of our Weather Tree use.  Eventually, I might introduce weather measurement tools and more in-depth science concepts.

History/Social Science/Geography:  The Weather Tree serves as a type of time line and helps us to discuss concepts such as today, yesterday, tomorrow, this week, next month, etc.  It also provides ample opportunities for social skills such as turn-taking and sharing.  Plus, it ties into geography.  We have begun to discuss how different geographical locations have different weather and will key into this more when we travel to see in-laws.

Visual Arts:  The children decided they wanted multi-colored leaves to track three different facets of daily weather patterns and also decide for themselves how they want to add these colors to their daily leaves.  As time goes on, I will begin to comment on patterns and styles I see emerging.  We may also change coloring media (from colored pencils to paints to ???) as the months go on.

Music:  We sing a simple “zipper” song as we do the Weather Tree daily, with the children filling in appropriate terms.

Theater/Dance/Movement:  We sometimes act like the air – still, breezy or windy – or enact how the temperature makes us feel – hot, warm, cold or cool.  We also move and clap to our Weather Tree Song at times.

Health/P.E.:  We take nature walks to observe the weather.

Inspirational Weather Tree Links

• The song I opened this post with is adapted from one shared by Kara at Rockin’ Granola.  We changed it to include the three areas of weather we decided to focus on:  the look of sky, the feel of the temperature and the feeling of the air’s movement.
• Christopherus Homeschool Resources offers a variety of images of homemade weather trees.
• Kara at Simple Homeschool explains the one-page weather tree chart she uses and offers related ideas for exploring weather.
• Christine at Moment to Moment shares the lovely, large weather tree with life-sized leaf rubbings.
• Tonya at Plain and Joyful Living shares a photo of the Weather Tree she painted on a wall for her K/1 child.
• HeatherLee at Oak Blossoms Academy’s child enjoys a simple hand drawn version on the fridge door.
• Antares Design has a beautiful Weather Tree calendar for sale.
• Dorothy Thelwall at The Weather Tree offers a concise history of the Weather Tree idea, as well as posters for sale that can be adapted from weather concepts to thing such as weight loss goals, smoking cessation goals or even a record of how many legs a hen lays daily. 

What daily charts do you use with your children?  Do you have favorite activities, verses, songs, books or posts about weather-related activities?  Do you know other great links about Weather Trees?  Please share in the comment!

This post is being shared at Living Life Intentionality T.G.I.F Linky Party...

..and Toys in the Dryers's Fun Stuff Friday

Celebrating Epiphany: A Photographic Journal of Celebrating the Feast Day with Young Children

Happy Epiphany Sunday!

We celebrated Little Christmas on its traditional date this past Friday with such things as read-alouds, crown-making, dramatic play, prayers and coloring.  However, since I misplaced our camera and, therefore, cannot share pictorial ideas with you from this year's festivities, I have decided to rewind to 2010 and 2011...

Below, please find photos and explanations of some of the ways we have honored this wonderful feast day with our little ones for the past few years  Perhaps our simple ideas will inspire you to tap into the richness of this day in ways that speak to the young children in your lives.

2010

Some scissor skills...

small paper shapes and glue...

a few stickers...

and a scarf make for one proud I-can-do-it-myself king!

Add a little chalk...

and it's time to bless the chalk and home.

A teddy bear is chosen to represent Baby Jesus so the kings can bring gifts.

Each child-king selects something they think the Baby Jesus will enjoy.

Then, the fun continues with loving, praying and talking to and about the newborn king.

Later, we used the crowns to decorate our liturgical table, which also had a paper star we had made.

And, on the wall above it was one of Luke's artistic representations of the Epiphany.

Through craft, prayer, art, stories and dramatic play, our children were introduced to the feast of the Epiphany.  They deepened their understanding of the Epiphany story and its significance the following year.

2011

We began the day by letting the children use their skills and imagination to make and decorate our now traditional paper crowns.

Not only did they delight in creating the crowns, but Luke and Nina also had fun crowning our "Baby Jesus" as King.

.

Dramatic play ensued as the children acted out being camels.

Later in the day, they also enjoyed playing the kings upon (Clifford) camel...

...and bringing gifts to a sleeping "Baby Jesus".

Between crown-making and dramatic play, we enjoyed a simple Saints Day Breakfast "tea", which included star-shaped pancakes over Baby Jesus figurines for each child and golden pineapples for all.  During the tea we examined our three wise men figurines and discussed the significance of the gifts they brought to Baby Jesus.  We also read two stories about the kings.

The stories and hands-on objects spoke to Nina, inspiring her to break into spontaneous prayer.

For fine motor fun, the children enjoyed some coloring pages and dot-to-dots.

For tactile input, we played with play dough...

...cutting out numeral 3's and stars, for early math skills...

...and letting creativity shine through, such as with Luke's self-sculpted camel.

We also acted out the Little Christmas story with play figurines.

On a non-Epiphany note, thank you to Cheryl at The Diary of a Sower for linking up last week with a wonderful young-child-friendly Advent meditation.  It is certainly one to bookmark for next year.  If you have a post -- old or new -- that touches on how to speak to the hearts of young children about our faith, please consider linking it up anytime this week!  (You needn't do it on Sunday.  truth be told, I take an Internet break most Sundays, pre-setting posts up to publish.)

Active Imagination Activity Book Review: A Useful Resource for the New Year

1.  Stay physically active despite winter cold.

2.  Spend quality time with our children.

These two commitments are ones that we are renewing for 2012.  If you have similar goals in mind, you may want to check out occupational therapist, Kelly Tilly’s  Active Imagination Activity Book, Sensorimotor Cards for Children to Improve Focus, Attention, Strength and Coordination.

Several months ago, we gratefully received a copy of this handy resource from Future Horizons in exchange for an honest review.  Since then, we have built strength and bonded with smiles through using some of the 50 activities included in the book.

A Rich Review of Active Imagination Activity Book 

A * for READABILITY
How much do I love a resource that is easy for both children and adults to access, and one that has wipe clean pages to boot?  A lot!  And, that is exactly what the Active Imagination Activity Book is.

Kelly Tilley did a fantastic job making her book a grab-and-go resource for adults and children alike.  The bulk of the spiral-bound book contains one-page, illustrated descriptions of sensorimotor activities that children can easily follow along with.  These are color-coded with tabs that highlight whether activities are Energizing, Upper-Body Strengthening, Core Strengthening and/or Calming, which help both children and adults to quickly select activities appropriate to the needs of any given moment.

Other portions of the book are more geared to adults using the book:

• an Introduction concisely points our the why’s and what’s behind the the book.
• Highlights of Active Imagination Activities suggests ways the books can be used and what types of activities might be selected before, during or after academic periods, prior to bedtime, as a part of obstacle courses, etc. 
• Selecting Activities for Each Child describes what the combinations of tabs at the bottom of activity pages mean, providing clear explanation in layman’s terms about how and why to incorporate Energizing, Upper-Body Strengthening, Core-Strengthening and Calming activities into a child’s sensory diet.
• a Quick- Reference Chart lists activities and the corresponding areas they help a child attend to.

Plus, the book is formatted so that it can stand as an easel, which allows children to easily view directions and drawings as they participate in activities

A * for RELEVANCE
As a parent of three young children who all benefit from purposeful activities interwoven with  creative play, I find this book a fantastic resource.  My children quickly gravitated toward it and enjoy using its ideas to spurn strength-building imaginative play, such as that they got into as a result of the “Thin Ice” activity.

As the person responsible for ensuring my eldest son maintains an adequate sensory diet, I herald this book for its grab-and-get-to-it formatting.  On busy days, when I realize I have been neglecting my son’s need for energizing or calming activities, I can toss him Active Imagination and tell him to pick several activities with red or blue tabs at the bottom.  On other days, when life allows me to be more proactive, I can spend a few moments tailoring  brief activity routines for my son, his siblings and I to have fun strengthening core muscles while satiating sensory diet needs.  Any day, I can turn to this Active Imagination for ideas that are clearly described, well-illustrated and purposefully-selected.
 
A 3/4 * for PRACTICALITY

• A spiral-bound resource that can lay flat or stand up as an easel.
• Laminated pages that make illustrations pop while also guaranteeing that pages messied by eager young hands can easily be wiped clean.
• A size that can fits well into a back pack or tote bag.
• Activities that require almost no equipment.
• A streamlined selection of illustrated ideas to improve any child’s strength, coordination, focus and attention.

You cannot get much more practical than that.  

Still, I am knocking the book down a 1/4 star for practicality.  Why?  Because I am a stickler for accuracy, and if one read the back cover of Active Imagination, the words “Exercises That Require No equipment!” stand out to me.  While it is true that many of the activities in the book require no equipment and all of them require only equipment that one is likely to have at home, I feel that the statement implies that no equipment is necessary for any of the 50 activities in the book.  This is not the case.
 
Equipment called for includes:

• a large ball
• a heavy blanket
• pillows or cushions
• bean bag
• a laundry basket or box
• a low bench
• a wobble board
• a chair
• a bowl
• a yard stick or wrapping paper roll

A  * for LONGEVITY
Although structure is vital for all children, especially those who are uniquely wired, my eldest son also thrives on variety.  He likes things that are new, or seem new.  Thus, I have found that while Active Imagination provides a fantastic selection of activities that appeal to my children, I have had to put it away at times in order to keep it interesting.  
 
In rotation with several other resources that we have, such as the MoveAbout Activity Cards that  I reviewed over at Our Journey THRU Autism, Active Imagination has remained useful to our family thus far and I can definitely see it staying in rotation for years to come.  With activities entitled such things as “Dolphin Dive”, “Meteorite Launch”, “The Windmill”, “Lava Leaps”, “The Seal from the Aquarium” and “Teensy Weensy Spider” (pictured in action by one of my kiddoes), this book not only lends itself towards strengthening and regulating bodies, but also towards seasonal topics, field trips and study units our family enjoys.
 
Additionally, although Active Imagination is published by a company geared towards Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder, I think it is a valuable resource for all children.  Every child has sensory needs to one degree or another.  Any child can benefit from core and upper-body strengthening activities.  All children can enjoy the calming and alerting exercises depicted in this activity book.  
 
A * for VALUE 
Handy resource for children and the adults in their lives?  $19.95 (or less with discount codes such as “HAPPY” at New Horizons).*

Fifty well-illustrated, clearly-described activity geared toward specific sensorimotor goals? $2.50 or so each.

My children finally beginning to figure out how to coordinate their bodies to do jumping jacks through the Soldier-Tepee Activity? 

Priceless!

Personal victories aside, I feel that Active Imagination is a good value.  The book is well thought-out and conveniently formatted with 50 relevant, easy and fun sensorimotor activities, plus helpful, yet concise, additional thoughts.  

For parents, it provides a quick-and-easy way to invite children to attend to their sensorimotor needs while activating their imaginations.

For homeschoolers, teachers, youth group leaders and coaches of pre-k and elementary school children, the book provides easy activities for individual and group movement breaks, as well as Physical Education ideas.

For Occupational Therapists, it fits nicely into a therapy bag and makes an excellent tool for sharing with parents to encourage continuity between activities done at therapy and at home. 

For children, it is just plain easy-to-follow fun!

*If you are lucky enough to have a library system that carries this book, definitely check it out.  Otherwise, if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the Active Imagination Activity Book, you may want to consider doing so directly through Future Horizons.  By entering the discount code “HAPPY” there, you can get 15% off your entire order and free U.S. shipping.  Plus, authors of  all the books/materials you order will receive twice the royalties they would if you purchased their items from, say, a rather large online book retailer.  This helps their livelihood and keeps the great resources coming.

Of course, you can also choose to buy Active Imagination Activity Book: 50 Sensorimotor Activities for Children to Improve Focus, Attention, Strength, and Coordination at Amazon if that’s what suits you best.

B.L.E.S.S.ings for the New Year -- Printable Flip Cards for You and Your Children to Use

Happy 2012!

Now that the New Year is here, what will you be doing with the Christmas cards you received?  In our home, we will be using them to B.L.E.S.S others.  It's simple:

1. Put all the cards in a basket, large envelope or pocket protector.
2. Print out a page of our B.L.E.S.S Flip Cards, cut them into cards, laminate them if you wish and put them on a key ring.
3. During prayer time, select one Christmas card, look who it is from and then use the B.L.E.S.S Flip cards to guide your children in praying for that person.
4. Finally, if you wish, write the person a traditional or electronic note to let them know you are praying for them.  (We all can use the lift on some days, knowing we that someone took the time to lift us up in prayer.)

You can find our B.L.E.S.S. Flip Cards here.  Based on your child's age and interests, select which page(s) you want to print:

• cards with simple images that my son picked out to help him and his pre-reading siblings remember what each letter of the B.L.E.S.S. prayer acronym stands for
• cards with blank spaces for children to draw their own images or to brainstorm key words for blessings
• cards with brief textual prayer guidelines
• cards with a sample prayer

From our family to yours this New Year, we wish you physical strength and protection; love and discernement in living your calling; peace, hope and love in your daily life; rich relationships with others; and continued growth in your spiritual life.  May the year ahead be B.L.E.S.S.ed for you and yours!

Being re-shared at:

 

My children know that this:

 is because of this:

The also know that tomorrow is a day to begin celebrating Jesus' birth.  

Reaching our own children through their natural connection with the Baby Jesus is such  a beautiful thing.  

Remembering that more is often caught than taught is important, too.

Thus, I will be taking a blogging break for the next few days (or weeks) in order to focus more fully on faith and family.  Before this break begins, however, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a most blessed Christmas season.  

May you see Jesus in every young child in your life.  May you let the Lord help you be His hands, mouth and heart to fellow children of God that you encounter.

Honoring the Saints: Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe through the Senses as a Way of Training Happy Hearts

As I reflect on the past week, I am grateful for the opportunity that Saints Days provide for engaging children in physical and spiritual exploration of faith.

Earlier in this A Call to Faith Formation for Young Children series, I suggested Creating a Sacred (but Touchable) Space and Making Story Baskets in conjunction with Saints Days.  Today, I would like to share how we honor the saints through all of our senses sometimes.

Like many Catholic families, our family celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day this past Monday.  In doing so, we keyed into many of our senses.

Luke "Juan Diego" gets in some heavy work on his way to see the bishop.

A Feast for the Senses with a Saints “Tea” Breakfast

We began the day with a simple GFCF breakfast “tea”, replete with sensory input. 

Ready to Awaken Mouth and Nose

 Mexican hot cocoa, made with cocoa, agave, water, salt, cinnamon and almond milk, added a sweet and spicy aroma to our morning.  Our Lady’s “Roses” provided a chance for the children to use their pincer grasps while popping firm, juicy raspberries onto their tongues.  Mexican Wedding Cookies looked a bit off since my adaptation of a gluten-full recipe did not result in delightfully round delicacies, but the children did not mind at all.  They simply enjoyed the sugar-sprinkled crunch of the treats.

Note to self on the menu, though: Expand it for next year’s tea.  The simple fare I prepared for our Lady of Guadalupe breakfast went quickly, and though it provided some wonderful olfactory, tactile and gustatory input, it did not fill the children’s bellies.  They seemed to have woken up in ravenous moods.  So, we supplemented our themed-tea with leftover turkey, some nuts and a few rice cakes.

As the children satiated their physical hunger, we tended to our thirst for spiritual growth (and some added visual input) with a reading of Tomie de Paola’s The Lady of Guadalupe, followed by some prayer and discussion.

Then, the children enjoyed more fine motor work while coloring pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan Diego with thanks to Waltzing Matilda, Coloring Saints and Domestic Church.

Intent on Fine Motor Fun

Getting in Some Saintly Heavy Work with an Obstacle Course

After breakfast, the children helped me set up an Our Lady of Guadalupe-based obstacle course.  It included:

Jaun Diego’s hut

(an infant gym toy with a blanket over it 

to encourage getting in a low-level prone-extension position

with tactile input, too)

 mountains and hills

(cushions and pillows to encourage balance and gross motor muscle work)

Our Lady atop the mountain

(Nina’s coloring taped to the wall, 

which offered opportunities for both control of movement – 

through providing a place for the children to stop traversing the hills – 

and visual focus and imagination – when they stopped to talk with Our Lady)

 and the bishop’s room 

(a blanket rigged up between door knobs and a mini-desk, 

which required the children to get down on a low level again to crawl under)

Just building this course offered opportunities for the children to engage in bending, lifting and carrying – all great vestibular and proprioceptive input.  Then, making our way through the course multiple times as we acted out the story of The Lady of Guadalupe provided the mornings full dose of heavy work.

"Juan Diego" picks winter roses...

and presents them to the "bishop"...

who is amazed by the image discovered on Juan Diego's tilma.

Fine Motor Fun with a Self-Designed Saint Story Play Set

Once our gross motor dramatic play was done, my two older children came up with their own fine motor activity.  The only help they asked me for was twist them some chenille strip people and to help them tape wings onto some.  These, they used to design their own Saints Day Story Set.

 They shaped a representation out of tinfoil of a church, 

complete with a cross on it, 

built to honor Our Lady's requests.  

 Near the church, they competed their playset.

The set included:

• a hut made a tinfoil for Jaun Diego to live in next to the church.
• a vision of Our Lady, cut out of one of the coloring pages they had completed at breakfast
• figurines of Juan Diego, his family and his friends, represented by the chenille strip people they asked me to make, which they clothed tin foil bits
• angels, made using the chenille people and tinfoil with wings fashioned from cut paper p
• fish and food to feed all of the people flocking to the church, represented by rolled up bits of tin foil.

With fingers fast at work, my children developed their play set.  With imaginations ignited, they dramatized their own version of what may have happened after the bishop witnessed the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Best of all, they cooperated while they did so.

Continuing On

Throughout the day, whenever it seemed “natural” to do so, we revisited the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady through further reading, conversation and play.  We noted some of Juan’s character traits (faith-filled, caring, loving, dedicated, persistent, obedience…) and tried to model our own real-life and pretend-play behaviors after these.  We also enjoyed Mexican-inspired snack and dinner menus.  Plus, of course, we offered extra prayers to Our Lady from wake up time to bedtime.

 How did you observe the feast day?  Do you add sensory-based activities into your liturgical year celebrations?    Do you have any other ideas to share about training young children up with happy hearts for God? I’d love to hear them in a comment, or to have you link your own posts up below.