Hands-on Activities: Raindrops Keep Falling

Grade Level K-1

Essential Question What things exist in the world around us?

Objective Students will name things that belong to nature.

Materials story about nature, large paper umbrella (optional), paper raindrops, pencil, bag, tape, and paper and crayons (optional)

Approach Cut out paper raindrops. Write one letter of the alphabet on each raindrop. Place the lettered raindrops in a bag. Draw a large umbrella on chart paper and tape it to the wall. If you prefer, you can draw one on the chalkboard. You can do these preparations yourself before class, or you can do them with your students.

Read a story to your students about nature and discuss it. Instruct your students to pull a paper raindrop from the bag. Ask them to say the letter printed on the raindrop, then name something from nature that begins with that letter. For example, if they pick a raindrop lettered "F," they might say "fish." If they are right, they can tape the raindrop to the umbrella. You (or they) can write their "nature words" next to the umbrella.

Reflection Ask the students to think about all of the different things in nature that are listed on the umbrella. Instruct them to draw a picture of some of these objects that occur together (for example, a fish and a worm). Another way of reflecting on this activity is to ask the students to pick three of their favorite letters and use the corresponding words to tell a short story about nature.

Content for this activity provided by Dr. Carol Hochman. Illustration © 2003 www.clipart.com.