Category Archives: Rain

Summer Rain

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Summer Rain


It has been hot and humid this summer. We have had lots of rain too. Some predictable adn some unpredictable rain. We make plans to go to the park and boom, a thunder cloud erupts and we have to change plans. Then on days we are told it will for sure rain, we wait, and wait, and postpone other activities, and nothing, nada, zip for hours and hours!

What do we do when it is predicted to rain with 80% chance and over 90+% humidity? The air becomes so heavy and it is very uncomfortable to be outside when it is like this. But we make the most of it and spend the day outside anyway on our front porch.

A few weeks ago, I started writing about this post about the rainy summer weather we have been having. One day when we got up, it had rained all night. The yard was drenched . The sidewalk and driveway was wet. A friend emailed us and said the park was soaked too. So we canceled our park outing and picnic.



The kids often enjoy watching and playing in the rain. So in anticipation of more rain today, we set up a table on the porch to do some activities waiting for the storm to arrive and to pass. But every cloud that rose up, seemed to just decided to go out and around us at the last minute.  The rain cloud teased us. It taunted us.  It was rainning at the park, rain was on the radar, but there was no rain on the house and yard.



Playdough was a fun way to take our mind off of the waiting.  We also invited neighbor friends to join us.  We have practically spent the entire summer playing daily with the neighbor kids.  All of these kids were silly for hours. Then we ate lunch and played some more silly games, waiting, and watching for the rain.  We could hear thunder, and see lightning in the distance.  So we waited some more.



Finally, after hours of play and waiting, the rains began. It was inevitable. It was refreshing. We enjoyed watching it rain.



The baby was super excited to have a front row seat. Pitter patter, pitter patter, the rain dripped and dropped and splashed all around the house and yard.



Despite the warm temperatures, the children ran inside and put on jackets to keep the rain off of them while they colored pictures in the rain.



They often get to play out in the rain, even dance in the rain, but not if there is lightning.  If it is a thunderstorm then they have to stay on the porch or in the house until it passes. Today they begged to stay outside, so playing with playdough, eating lunch, and coloring on the porch was a good way to pass the time and enjoy the rain at the same time.




More Rain In The Forecast

Today is another one of these summer rain days. The neighbor kids have been here most of the day. We’ve played restraunt, we have made note books with construction paper, writing paper, paper cutter, scissors, stickers, and staples. We have drawn and decorated our notebooks. We have played house with babydolls. We have played cars with toy cars. We have written with chalk on the chalk board.  Then we ate lunch of homemade pizzas and chocolate milk.



The kids have been waiting. They have been anticipating it all day. They know soon it is going to rain.



The storm is on it’s way. This mom is tired and tuckered out. It has been a long, hot, and humid day. We had three or four of these days last week, and this is day three so far this week. The clouds are getting darker. The radar is showing rain and storms in the area, though it is still dry outside.  The toys are scatterer all over the porch and yard, the children are trying to get in as much playtime as they can before the storm hits.  They know it is about to happen. The kids are anticipating……RAIN.



As I write this, the rain has begun. The kids are so excited. The neighbor kids are just as excited too and they are playing on the porch, and dancing out in the summer rain.





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Dancing In The Rain

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Spring brings lots of new opportunities to learn from.  It also brings some rainy days.  My kids like to go outside.  We love to play in the yard, ride bikes and scooters on the road out front of the house, and play at the park.  But we don’t do those things on rainy days and this can result in some grumpy kids.

Rainy day conversation: 
Child: “Mom, its raining! 
Mom: “Yes it is.”
Child: “Can I go out and play?”
Mom: “No, it is too wet.”
Child: :”I don’t want it to rain.   I can’t go outside in the rain.  This day is no fun!”

Later, I usually overhear this song as they sit sadly by the window:
“Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day!”
or this song:
“It’s raining, its pouring, the old man is snoring….”

So pitiful, just pitiful is their reaction to staying inside!  So many toys and indoor games we could play today, why do they have to feel so sad about the rain? 

What if I change the answer to “Yes, you can go out and play in the rain”?  It’s a crazy thought I know, but we haven’t played in the rain in a long time.  Winter is over, and spring is here.  What new adventure could we have?  What learning could take place?  Would they still be sad?  What if we explore the rain without a raincoat or rain boots?  Could we explore it in our barefeet?  One thing is for sure, they are going to get wet!




Explore The Rain

What is rain?
Where does it come from?
How does it feel?
Is it hot or cold?  Is is dry or wet?
Why does it feel wet?
Why is it so small?


Experiments & Observations:

Observe the rain falling to the ground from the sky:



Observe flowing water and standing water, or puddles, made by the rain:



Feel the rain:



Taste the rain:





Splash in the rain:



Make footprints with rain:



Lots of footprints:



Marching in the rain:





Running in the rain:



Falling down in the slippery rain:



Dancing in the rain:




Conclusions:

The rain falls from the clouds in small drops.
The rain can fall fast or slow, and can have variations of small or very small drops, which creates heavy or light rain.
The rain drops fall down to earth because of gravity.
The rain drops tastes like water. The water is similar to water in the bathroom shower.
The rain feels wet because it is water.
The water from the rain flows downhill until the ground becomes flat, and then the rain can’t move.  Then the rain becomes a water puddle. Eventually the puddle will disappear as the water seeps into the soil and some of it evaporates into the air.
The water makes the dry dirt wet and muddy.
The rain makes the ground slippery as it mixes with dirt.
The rain feels cool.
The rain makes your hair and clothes wet.  
The rain makes your body feel wet and cold.


Conversation:
Child: “Mom, doesn’t the rain just make you want to dance?”
Mom: “Yes, just like the rain drops we saw dancing on the ground as they fell from the sky.”
Child: “Mom, thanks for letting us go outside and dance in the rain.”

New Song: “I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling, I’m happy again..”


                          You can learn while dancing in the rain!



“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”  Leviticus 26:4


This post will be linked with:
No Time For Flash Cards
ABC and 123
Sharing Time
Science Sunday
Raising Homemakers

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