Montessori Monday: Weather Wheel

Late last week temperatures went from something like 5 C (41 F) to 22 C (71) overnight. This was the warmest day in our city in 32 years! Kris and I both rushed home from work, pulled out the wagon, and took Kale for a walk downtown. Along the way we bumped into some friends and decided to stay for a drink while our kids played together. By the time we left, it was 6:30pm and starting to get dark out. It felt so strange to be out for a walk in the dark with Kale. I'm pretty sure the last time this happened was when we were pacing the block during a heat wave with a one year old. 

Anyway, the next day we were back to seasonal temperatures and of course it's been raining non-stop all weekend and we're preparing for the effects of Hurricane Sandy. It won't be a surprise to anyone around here if we have a blanket of the white stuff before the end of the week. 

With all these rapid changes going on, I figured it was a good time to talk to Kale about the weather. I know that he starts everyday in the classroom going over the day of the week, the month, and talking about the weather, so decided to try something similar at home. A quick tour of pinterest and I settled on making a weather wheel.

I picked up a thick foam board for the wheel and some foam sticker sheets to make different weather symbols (except the snowflakes - I found pre-made ones). I barely passed fourth grade art, so you know this was an easy craft. Kale, of course, was a wonderful helper. Particularly because there was glue involved.... 

While we were putting this together (it quickly became a family affair and Kris joined us), we talked to Kale about what we were making and compared it to the weather outside. I'd also ask him to find me certain coloured sheets of foam and then see if he could find a matching one (he's really into colours and matching these days). 

I stuck an arrow on a clothes pin so we can adjust it to point to the days weather, while Kale thought was pretty cool (at least he enjoyed moving it around). 

I'm hoping to use the wheel every morning and build a connection between what it's doing outside and what we should wear (getting dressed continues to be an ongoing battle). I also think we can use the weather wheel to inspire lots of Montessori activities (like one of the many on Living Montessori Now's site). 

And then he told us all about the weather...