Materials
- books about rain, such as:
- Beneath a Blue Umbrella by Jack Prelutsky
- Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale by Verna Aardema
- Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
- A Mushroom in the Rain by Mirra Ginsburg
- Rain by Manya Stojic
- Umbrella by Taro Yashima
- The Umbrella by Jan Brett
- paper clips or plastic chain links
What to do
April is National Umbrella Month.
1. During the month of April, make books about rain available to the children.
2. Stand the books side by side on a table and tape a paper clip or plastic chain link on the edge of the table in front of each book.
3. Give each child a paper clip or plastic link and have them take turns hooking their clip to the clip that is under their favorite rain book, forming chains under each book.
4. When each child has had a turn, add up the totals. Leave the chains on display for the children to count and recount the results on their own throughout the day.
-Jodi Sykes, Lake Worth, FL
