April Showers Bring May Flowers Children's Books and Activities About Rain

Weekly Trip to the Library

It is Spring and in many parts of the country it rains a lot in the Spring. Below we recommend some great children children's books about rain with corresponding activities to do with your charges with and/or in the rain. So, read these books and put on your rain slickers and boots and get outside and learn about rain!

Rainby Robert Kalan

In this book the blue sky, yellow sun, and white clouds suddenly become gray clouds, gray sky, and rain. Using bold graphics and few words, Rain explores concepts like weather, colors, and a changing landscape. It's a book for very young readers to enjoy and learn from, rain or shine.

Come On, Rain

by Karen Hesse

Award-winning author Karen Hesse and artist Jon J. Muth capture the magnificence of a sudden rainstorm on a hot day. As the downpour approaches, a girl named Tessie gathers her friends to play in the raindrops. The rain shower so gigantic, it even makes their mothers run into the street.

Otto's Rainy Day by Pamela R. Levy

The mother in the book learns from her son about the fun of playing in the rain, and they end up having a most precious, beautiful, bonding, and wet day. Otto likes to listen to the rain, he likes to run through the puddles, splash little ants on the pavement, and best of all he likes to stick out his tongue and taste the rain! It's a feel-good book for both kids and their caregivers.

What Happens to the Rain? After it rains, take the children out to follow the path of the rain. Where does it go? Does it seep into the ground, down the sewer? What happens to the rain on the sidewalk or on the slide?

Weather Chart Each day for a month, chart the weather. Was it sunny, rainy, cold, or warm? Ask your child for as many descriptive words as they can think of about the day.

Measuring Rainfall On a rainy day, set out a container to measure the rainfall. Measure how much rain fell that day. Continue to measure the rain each day, and record for a few weeks. Ask your child to predict how much water will be collected. Ask at the beginning of the day and ask when it is raining. Did their answer change?

Evaporation Use two clear plastic glasses of the same size. Measure one cup of water and place in each cup. Mark the water level of each cup with a permanent marker. Place one in a sunny window and the other somewhere else in the room. Observe the glasses of water over the nest couple of days. Ask the children where the water is going. Which is evaporating more quickly? Evaporation occurs when the particles of water become warm enough that they turn into vapors and leave the cup and escape into the air. Why did the water in the sun evaporate faster?

Rain Sticks Seal off one end of a paper towel tube with tape or tape heavy construction paper or tag board over one hole. Poke holes in the side of the paper towel tube with either a small nail or an awl. The child then can insert toothpicks into the holes. Have the child fill with dried rice or lentils, then seal the other end of the tube. Cover the tube with construction paper, then have the child decorate as desired. To use the rain stick, simply turn it over and listen to the rain.

Sail Toy Boats in Rain Rivers As long as there isn't lightening and thunder, dress the kids up in their rain coats and rain boots. Let them sail their toy boats and other bath toys in puddles and rivers made by the rain.

Stop by next week for another Weekly Trip to the Library for Nannies and Au Pairs.