May Day was this past Monday, and from my days growing up in Opelika, I remember that our schools would celebrate May Day with beautiful maypoles with different colors of crepe streamers or ribbons. At recess, we had fun dancing around the maypole as we welcomed the last month of school.
We also participated in May Day parades at school with our hats and baskets that we had made in art class. We welcomed May with excitement and rainbows of promise as we ended a good school year and looked forward to a fun, free summer. And it is still the same today.
One special day that I noticed on the teacher’s calendar is Thursday, May 4 — National Weather Observers Day. Children are wonderful weather observers. Also, it has been so pleasant this spring to be outside and to observe the changes in the weather. Teach your child that weather is the condition of air here on Earth.
If your child asks you what air is, explain to them that air can be felt when the wind blows. To teach them this concept, use a paper fan to cool your child off. As an alternative, you may simply blow up a balloon to show that air takes up space.
Another fact that children seem to be fascinated with is that the sun heats up the air, or atmosphere, which causes water to evaporate up into the air. Wednesday, May 3, is recognized is National Sun Day. The lesson I have used to teach children about evaporation is to take a wet sponge and draw a line on a table, wall or blackboard. With a little time, the simple wet stripe from the sponge disappears. You can also set out a cup of water and watch the water disappear over several days. Ask your child, “Where did the water go?” You can use this to explain the water cycle to them.
1. The first stage we explain is evaporation. The heat from the sun causes water found in rivers, lakes and oceans to turn from a liquid form into a gas form. Explain that as the water evaporates it turns into the form of a gas, which collects to form clouds. One observation that truly fascinates the young scientist’s eye is the formation of clouds. This is where you can guide your child’s eye to identify three different kinds of clouds.
I tell children that cirrus clouds look like pulled cotton candy. Usually, cirrus clouds are associated with fair weather. Cumulus clouds are heaping clouds; they look like pillows you can jump on. It’s neat to point out to your child these clouds building up for a spring afternoon shower. Stratus clouds, which look like layers or blankets, produce rain and drizzle.
2. Condensation is the second stage in the water cycle. Condensation happens when the water vapor (gas) which is in the clouds becomes droplets.
3. Precipitation is the third stage of the water cycle. This is where water falls as rain, sleet, snow or hail.
4. The fourth and final stage is the collection stage. This is where the precipitation that falls from the sky collects into the oceans, lakes, rivers, etc. Children are typically fond of another collection place, the rain puddles, where they can run and splash around.
Children love to use their imaginations to find different shapes in the clouds. Fog is also something your child can observe draping over the outside world early in the morning.
Other weather events your child can learn about are thunderstorms and lightning. It’s also important to teach your child some important safety rules for storms: not being outside, in a swimming pool or under a tree where lightning can strike, for example.
Waterspouts form over bodies of water, drawing up large columns of water. One doesn’t want to observe tornadoes. Tornadoes can reach high speeds and are one of the most destructive natural phenomena. I have many memories from my years living near the coast in South Alabama of preparing for hurricanes and experiencing the high winds that come with these storms.
On the contrary, dust devils are small tornadoes over land areas. A dust devil draws up dust, leaves and debris. If you find you and your child near one of these, make sure dust or sand doesn’t get in your child’s eyes.
The most beautiful sight to observe on a spring afternoon is an arching rainbow. Explain to your children that rainbows occur when sunlight penetrates raindrops and is broken into the beautiful bands of violet, indigo, red, orange, yellow and green.
Investing in an inexpensive thermometer promotes a family activity in reading the temperature each day. You could also make a rain gauge by setting out a bucket to collect rainwater, which you can then measure with a ruler. This is a good family activity, too.
Another family activity is watching a local or national weather station. You would be surprised at how much your young meteorologist can understand about forecasts and weather events on a map.
Thursday, May 4, is also National Day of Prayer. “Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). We are made for prayer. If we go back to the very beginning of time, we see that prayer — communication with God — has always been central. The Bible clearly describes several of these benefits:
1. A better inner life: When we teach our children to pray, they learn about the joy and peace that are available to them.
2. Personal growth: Children love to bow their little heads and pray. God enables young hearts to grow in understanding, wisdom and the fullness of God.
3. Strength and courage: Young fears may seem silly at times, but they are real to their little minds. By giving our children the resource of prayer, we provide them with strength, courage and wisdom to face their world. “I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4-5).
Here are some ideas for family prayer time:
• Have each person in the family pray for one thing.
• Hold hands while you pray.
• Pray for the person on your left or right.
• Maybe pray for specific things.
• Each family member can think of a praise item, or to pray for a person who is hurting.
• Do Post-It Note prayers all over the house — on the mirrors, doors, walls, in backpacks, etc.
• Keep a family prayer journal to see how God answers prayers.
Friday, May 5, is Cinco De Mayo, which provides the perfect opportunity to teach children about Mexican traditions in a fun way.
We have only just begun family activities and fun for May. Have a great week.
Classroom Observer
Beth Pinyerd