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Rain Week 2018

This last week in March we will be talking about rain and umbrellas…and if Mother Nature continues into next week with the weather we have had this week we can add sunglasses and wooly socks to our list of options needed to be outside!

We will begin our spring gardening this week. We will be planting seeds and adding some flowers to the garden. Gardening is one way to teach the children empathy for living things. When they garden they learn responsibilities as they care for their plants. Being outside in nature is allows children to see living things in their environment. As we work in our garden and observe the worms, bugs and birds in the play area, we are developing a community that has an interest in caring for plants and wildlife. The preschool garden is a certified a Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation and we will continue to build up the garden to support the urban wildlife in our neighborhood. Last year our garden attracted songbirds, hummingbirds and butterflies. As the children are learning to protect living things in our garden they will be learning empathy and respect for all living things.

Kahn (1997) proposes that children can develop empathy toward both nature and people, and that empathy in one domain can generalize to another domain. This conceptualization suggests that as children demonstrate prosocial behaviors such as caring and empathy toward animals and plants, their understanding of perspectives, needs, and feelings of people can deepen as well.  

The weather this week looks like it will be in keeping with our theme. It will be wet, but not as cold during the week. We will be exploring the rain with ‘rain painting’ both inside and outside.  Outside we will be using wax paper to watch the rain as it beads up and runs through different colors.  Inside we will use spray bottles to “paint’ clouds and watch them rain on the paper. It is fun to explore in our city’s natural “water feature.”

Rain Week

Songs:
The rain is raining all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.
– Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1895)

Can You Hear the Rain?
“Pitter-patter, pitter-patter,” can you hear the rain?
“Pitter-patter, pitter-patter,” on the window pane.
“Pitter-patter, pitter-patter,” let’s go out to play.
I just love to jump in puddles on a rainy day.
Little raindrops, “splashing, splashing,” all across my face.
Little raindrops, “splashing, splashing,” splashing every place.
– E.B. (1938 – ) MotherGooseCaboose

The Rain
Pitter-patter, raindrops,
Falling from the sky;
Here is my umbrella
To keep me safe and dry!
When the rain is over,
And the sun begins to glow,
Little flowers start to bud,
And grow and grow and grow.

Thunder crashes.
Lightening flashes.
Rain makes puddles,
I make splashes.
Rain on the green grass,
And rain on the sea,
Rain on the house-tops,
But not on me!