As part of their weather unit, students in Ms. Sara Flansburg’s preschool class recently explored the water cycle through a cloud experiment in the classroom.
Using a heating source, cold water, a pan, and ice, students observed how the sun warms water, turning it into vapor. As the vapor rose and cooled, it formed a cloud overhead. Soon, water droplets gathered and began to fall, creating “rain” the class could watch in real time.
Building on this learning, students discussed how weather affects their daily lives, including the importance of checking the forecast, what to wear on different kinds of days, and how to stay safe during storms.
As part of the unit, the class welcomed meteorologist Jacob Woods from Fox 31, who visited the ECLC to talk with students about weather and forecasting.
In addition to these experiences, students explored weather through art and early writing, using simple lines and shapes as a form of early mark-making. They represented falling rain with lines and puddles with curved shapes in their rainy-day paintings, adding bright rainbows for contrast.
Through these experiences, preschoolers built an early understanding of the water cycle while making connections to their everyday experiences.
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.