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Clouds and Weather

Resource for Grades Pre-K-1

| Citation

Media Type:
Video

Running Time: 2m 15s
Size: 34.0 MB

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Collection Credits

Collection Funded by:

KET's Everyday Science is funded in part by Kentucky Power and the American Electric Power Foundation

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Clouds
(Video)

Observe Clouds
(Video)

This video, which features original stop-motion animation, is a fun way for children to learn about different types of clouds and their relationship to weather. It encourages young children to develop their powers of observation, an important component of the scientific method. After seeing the video, children can watch for cloud patterns in the sky and observe what these clouds signal about weather changes.

This resource is part of the KET Everyday Science collection.

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Background Essay

Clouds are part of the water cycle that hydrates and supports life on earth. They begin as water in a lake, stream, or ocean. As the sun warms the water, some of the liquid evaporates into the atmosphere to form clouds. Fueled by the wind, the clouds travel across the sky and gather more evaporated water. The clouds grow heavier and heavier with moisture until they eventually become full. When that happens, they release moisture back into the atmosphere in the form of rain or other precipitation. As the rain falls to earth, it once again replenishes streams, lakes, and oceans.

Clouds look different during the various stages of this process. Cirrus clouds are thin. Cumulus clouds are fluffy. Stratus clouds are dark and gray. Cumulonimbus clouds are tall and anvil-shaped.

Different clouds mean different weather. By recognizing the different types of clouds, young children can begin to understand how observing changes in the atmosphere helps us predict the weather will be. Observation is a basic concept of the scientific method. Young children’s natural curiosity about the world enhances their ability to learn through observation.

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Teaching Tips

Vocabulary

weather, wind, sun, clouds, rain, snow, thunder, tornado, lightning, cumulus, cirrus, stratus, cumulonimbus

For this activity, you will need:

Large open area (on a table or the floor)

Straws

Cotton balls

Large circle of paper

Journals for the children to document their cloud studies. You can make inexpensive journals by folding 3-4 sheets of paper in half and stapling on the fold line. Add a colored sheet for a cover if you like.)

Directions

1. Have the children watch “Clouds and Weather” on a projector or Smartboard.
2. Ask the children what made the clouds move across the sky.
3. Explain to the children that they will be creating weather today by making clouds move as they do on a windy day.
4. Have the children seated at the table (or on the floor in a circle).
5. Distribute the straws and cotton balls.
6. Encourage the children to blow through the straws to make the cotton balls move. How do the “clouds” move when they blow hard through the straw? How do the “clouds” move when they lightly blow through the straws?
7. Place the large circle of paper in the middle of the table or floor and have the children blow the cotton balls to the circle. Ask the children what happens when clouds come together. (rain, storms)
8. Provide time for the children to record their observations in their journals.

Extensions
• Ask the children’s librarian or the school librarian to help you locate books about clouds to read to the children.
• Take children outside on several days to observe the sky and identify different types of clouds. Ask them what kind of weather they might expect based on the clouds they see.