Observing Clouds

Observing Clouds

Location: indoor and outdoor

Materials: Little Cloud by Eric Carle and/or It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, a blanket

Clouds are a very accessible part of our outdoor world and can serve as another topic that bridges indoors and outdoors. To kick this off you might choose to read one or both of these books with your children.

After reading the book of your choice, during outdoor play time, you can encourage your children to look at the clouds. To make it easier you might consider spreading out a blanket on the ground and inviting your children to lie on it while looking up at the sky.

  • What do they see?
  • Are the clouds moving?
  • Are the clouds making shapes?

Possible Extensions:

  • Re-read these books outdoors for kids to have an opportunity to look at the clouds in the sky while listening to the story
  • Use cotton balls to make cloud paintings
  • Set up a cloud observation station at a window (you can include binoculars and paper for kids to draw what they see)

What We're Learning:

  • literacy development
  • exploring the natural world
  • early math development (ie: recognizing non-geometric shapes)
  • symbolic thinking (ie: objects can represent and resemble other things)