What Do We Use in the Rain?

Materials

none

Instructions

When the children arrive, gather them together and discuss winter
weather. Ask the children if they have ever seen snow fall. Ask the
children to describe what individual snowflakes look like as they fall.
2. Use words like "flutter," "spiral," and "waltz" with the children to
describe snowflakes. Explain the meanings of these words to
the children if they do not know them already.
3. Direct the children to compare falling snowflakes to dancing.
Clap out a 3/4 waltz beat for the children to dance to.
4. Invite the children to take turns standing up and acting out
a single motion that a falling snowflake makes. Ask the children to
name or otherwise identify those motions.
5. Have all the children stand up together. Ask one child to name a
movement snowflakes make while falling, and then have all the
other children in the class make that movement.
6. Call on another child to name a movement snowflakes make while falling, and
have the children make that movement.
7. Repeat until all the children have offered a movement to make.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Can the children dance to the 3/4 beat of a waltz?
l Can the children name motions snowflakes make while
falling? Can the children imitate those motions?