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Kindergarten Science (Next Generation Science Standards) • Earth’s Systems

Record weather observations over time.

Learn to watch the sky every day and write down what the weather is doing!

Explore the lesson 8 min read
A microscope with leaf and experiment flask for elementary science discovery
Inside this lesson 10 sections 5 questions 4 figures

SECTION 1

Why Do People Watch the Weather?

People have always looked at the sky. They wanted to know if it would rain or shine!

Long, long ago, farmers needed to know the weather. That means what the sky is doing outside right now. They watched the clouds every day.

Over time, people started to write down what they saw. This helped them remember and find patterns. That means things that happen again and again.

Long Ago • Farmers Watch the Sky

Farmers looked at clouds every day. They needed sun for their plants to grow.

300 Years Ago • People Made Weather Tools

People built tools to measure how hot or cold it is. They wrote it down every day!

100 Years Ago • Weather Charts at Schools

Teachers and kids started making weather charts. They drew suns, clouds, and raindrops.

Today • We Record Weather Too!

Now you can be a weather watcher! You can look outside and record what you see.

Here is our big question: What happens when we write down the weather every day? Let's find out together!

SECTION 2

What Do We Look for in the Weather?

Let's think about our anchoring phenomenon. Imagine you go outside every day for two weeks. Some days are sunny. Some days are rainy. Some days are cloudy. How can you remember all of that?

You can record it! That means you draw or write what you see. Scientists do this too!

1

Sunny or Cloudy?

Look up at the sky! Is the sun out? Are there clouds? Draw what you see.
2

Rainy or Snowy?

Is water falling from the sky? Rain is wet drops. Snow is cold and white.
3

Warm or Cold?

How does the air feel on your skin? Is it warm like summer? Or cold like winter?
4

Windy or Calm?

Is the wind blowing your hair? Or is the air very still? That tells us about wind!
☀️

KEY TAKEAWAY

Recording weather is like keeping a diary for the sky! Just like you might draw a picture of your day, you can draw a picture of the weather each day. Over time, you can look back and see what happened!

SECTION 3

A Weather Chart You Can Make!

A weather chart helps us keep track. That means it is a big picture we fill in each day. Let's look at one!

Our Week of WeatherMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySunnyCloudyRainySunnyA Little RainWhat do you notice?2 Sunny days, 1 Cloudy, 1 Rainy, 1 Cloudy + RainPattern: More sunny days than rainy days this week!Each day we look outside and draw what we see on the chart.
This chart shows five days of weather. We drew a sun, clouds, or raindrops for each day. Then we looked for a pattern!

Look at the chart above! On Monday we drew a big yellow sun. On Wednesday we drew rain. When we look at all five days, we can see a pattern. There were more sunny days than rainy days.

This is what real scientists do! They observe the weather. That means they look very carefully. Then they record what they see.

SECTION 4

How Do We Record Weather Every Day?

Let's learn the steps to record weather. It is easy and fun! You will be a weather scientist.

Step by Step: Be a Weather Watcher!

  1. Step 1: Look outside. Go to a window or step outside. What do you see in the sky?
  2. Step 2: Feel the air. Is it warm, cool, or cold? Is the wind blowing?
  3. Step 3: Pick a picture. Choose a sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, or windy picture.
  4. Step 4: Put it on your chart. Draw or stick the picture on today's spot.
  5. Step 5: Do it again tomorrow! The more days you record, the more patterns you find.
💡

Science Practice: Asking Questions

Real scientists ask questions about what they see. You can ask: "Will tomorrow be sunny or rainy?" After many days of recording, you might be able to guess!

When you do this every day, you are using a science practice called analyzing data. That means looking at your pictures to find out what keeps happening.

SECTION 5

Different Kinds of Weather

There are many kinds of weather. Let's see them all! Each one looks and feels different.

Types of WeatherSunnyBright sky, warmCloudyGray sky, no sunRainyWater drops fallSnowyCold, white flakesWindyAir blows hard
Here are five kinds of weather you can record: sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, and windy. You can draw these on your chart!

Every day the weather might be one of these. Sometimes it can be two at once! It can be cloudy AND windy. You can draw both on your chart.

ℹ

Crosscutting Concept: Patterns

Scientists look for patterns everywhere. A pattern is something that happens over and over. When you see sunny, sunny, rainy, sunny, sunny, rainy — that is a pattern!

SECTION 6

Let's Fill In a Weather Chart Together!

Let's pretend we are in class. We will fill in a weather chart for three days. Ready? Let's go!

Recording Three Days of Weather

  1. 1

    Step 1 — Monday: Look Outside

    We look out the window on Monday. The sky is blue. The sun is shining bright!
    We draw a ☀️ sun on Monday's spot.
  2. 2

    Step 2 — Tuesday: Look Outside Again

    We look out the window on Tuesday. The sky is gray. We cannot see the sun. Oh no, it starts to rain!
    We draw a 🌧️ rain cloud on Tuesday's spot.
  3. 3

    Step 3 — Wednesday: Look Outside One More Time

    We look out on Wednesday. There are white clouds in the sky. But no rain! The air is cool.
    We draw a ☁️ cloud on Wednesday's spot.
  4. 4

    Step 4 — Look for Patterns

    Now we look at all three days together. Monday was sunny. Tuesday was rainy. Wednesday was cloudy. Each day was different!
    We found out that weather can change from day to day. That is a great observation!

Great job! You just did what real weather scientists do. You observed, you recorded, and you looked for patterns. You are amazing!

SECTION 7

Different Ways to Record Weather

There is more than one way to record weather! Let's see which ways are good for you.

Way to RecordWhat You DoGood For
Draw PicturesDraw a sun, cloud, or raindrop each day.Easy and fun for everyone!
Use StickersStick a weather sticker on the chart.Quick and neat.
Tally MarksMake a mark each time it rains, snows, or shines.Great for counting weather types.
Class ChartA big chart on the wall. The whole class fills it in.Everyone can see the patterns!

Ways kindergarteners can record weather

📋

KEY TAKEAWAY

There is no wrong way to record weather! Drawing, sticking, or marking all work. The important thing is to do it every day so you can see what keeps happening. It is like coloring one square of a quilt each day. Soon you see the whole beautiful pattern!

SECTION 8

From Weather Watching to Bigger Ideas

You are learning something real scientists do. When you grow up, you can learn even more about weather!

What You Do NowWhat Bigger Kids Do
Draw pictures of today's weather.Use thermometers and rain gauges to measure weather with numbers.
See patterns in a week of weather.Look at weather patterns over months and seasons.
Ask: Will it be sunny or rainy?Learn how weather forecasters predict the weather.

How weather learning grows over time

Right now, the best thing you can do is keep watching and keep recording. Every time you look at the sky, you are being a scientist. That is so cool!

ℹ

Connecting Ideas

Weather is part of Earth's systems. That means the sky, the air, and the water all work together. When you record weather, you are learning about how our planet works!

SECTION 9

Practice: Be a Weather Detective!

Let's try some questions! Imagine a girl named Mia. She records the weather at her school for one week. Here is what she draws:

Monday: ☀️ Sunny, Tuesday: ☀️ Sunny, Wednesday: ☁️ Cloudy, Thursday: 🌧️ Rainy, Friday: ☀️ Sunny.

Question 1: CONCEPTUAL

Why does Mia look outside every day before drawing on her chart? A) Because her teacher says to play outside B) Because she needs to observe the weather before she records it C) Because she wants to find bugs
Show answer
The answer is B! Mia needs to observe the weather first. That means she looks carefully at the sky. Then she can draw what she sees on her chart. Scientists always observe before recording!

Question 2: BASIC

How many sunny days did Mia record? A) 2 days B) 3 days C) 4 days
Show answer
The answer is B! Monday, Tuesday, and Friday were all sunny. That is 3 sunny days. When we count our recordings, we can see which type of weather happened the most.

Question 3: INTERMEDIATE

What kind of weather happened the most in Mia's week? A) Rainy B) Cloudy C) Sunny
Show answer
The answer is C! Sunny happened 3 times. Cloudy happened 1 time. Rainy happened 1 time. So sunny happened the most! This is a pattern — mostly sunny with a little cloud and rain.

Question 4: APPLIED

Mia wants to play outside at recess. She looks at her weather chart. Most days this week were sunny. What might she guess about tomorrow? A) It will probably snow B) It might be sunny again C) It will definitely rain
Show answer
The best answer is B! Since most days were sunny, Mia might guess it could be sunny again. But weather can always change! That is why we keep recording every day. We can never be totally sure.

Question 5: CRITICAL THINKING

Think and share: If Mia kept recording for a whole month, what new things might she learn? Talk about it with a friend or grown-up!
Show answer
Great thinking! If Mia recorded for a whole month, she could see even bigger patterns. She might find out that it rains more at the beginning of the month. Or she might see many sunny days in a row. The more days she records, the more she can learn about how weather changes over time. That is what scientists do — they collect lots of data to find patterns!

SUMMARY

Let's Remember What We Learned!

Summary

You learned how to record weather observations over time! First you observe the sky by looking outside. Then you record what you see by drawing on a weather chart. You can draw suns, clouds, raindrops, snowflakes, or wind.

When you do this every day, you can find patterns. Patterns tell us what happens again and again. Maybe it is sunny most days! Maybe it rains a lot! Scientists look for patterns in weather just like you do. You are learning about Earth's systems and you are doing real science. Keep watching the sky!

Varsity Tutors • Kindergarten Science (Next Generation Science Standards) • Record weather observations over time.