Discussing Weather with My 3 Year Old

We currently live in South Carolina, however we are fortuned to be protected by the mountains and to be inland enough that we did not feel the brunt of Hurricane Ian. What we did get though was the winds and a tad bit of rain.

One of the activities that is part of our morning rhythm is to listen, see and “touch” the weather for the day. We as Alexa what is the weather for the day then we change our weather blocks to match the weather report.

However, one day, We asked Alexa, what was the weather for the day, and she told us sunny. However, As we are looking outside yes there it was sunny, but the wind was blown part of our lawn toys across, the yard. So We ask Alexa, to tell us what the weather is again, she repeats the same message, with no mention of high winds. At this point I am rolling my eyes🙄 and yelling for my little one to grab her coat and shoes. We grab Nerdy Baby Weather and go outside to meet the weather for the day.

As of that day we ask Alexa for the weather, we get dress and then we go outside to listen to the weather, and what sound are created as an effect of the weather, see the weather, feel the weather, and how it makes us feel, and to touch the weather, that little activity could be lifting our hands and letting the wind blow through our fingers.

Again, my family did not experience what the midlands and low country of my state experience today, We still have internet and electricity. Despite me insisting that we bring in toys and tools from the garden, nothing blew away. We have til tomorrow morning to see whether or not we will get the 2–4 inches of rain.

Today that was significant because we were feeling the effects of Hurricane Ian on our state. We watched the wind blow our trees, bushes and flowers around. We followed the pattern of a leaf as it was blown across the street to a neighbors house and we lifted our hands and felt the wind and she shared her touch with us. Today, I saw a light bulb cut on today, connecting us asking Alexa what the weather is, we putting out the weather blocks and us feeling the weather!! She got it and I was proud for her. For me this takes 10 mins, for her it is a connection to the weather and what it is.

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The Rain

Image by Shutterstock.com

I have been training my child that rain is a precious blessing that the heavens share with us. So we sing songs like Ellie Goulding Thank You Clouds Song. When it is warm, we go outside and play in the rain. So far it 3 this is working, she gets excited when it rains vs upset, she is not worried about her hair, because her hair is natural, and we plan to keep her hair natural. If it is raining outside, I dress her is bright and happy colors to assist with bring bright energy into her space. We intentionally do not sing, read or play the nursery rhyme asking the rain to go away, because whether we are in suburban South Carolina, the sandy beaches of Ghana or in a tropical rainforest in Ecuador want her to appreciate the rain and what it provide all of us. Little Lady is EXCITED when it start raining, is brings her joy.

We will continue to learn about the weather as she is interested in exploring it. One of our goals with her is creating a child that is curious, hungry to learn, and gets excited when she understands.

Sources and Resources

Nerdy Babies: Weather (Nerdy Babies, 4)
Amazon.com: Nerdy Babies: Weather (Nerdy Babies, 4): 9781250312327: Kastner, Emmy, Kastner, Emmy: Books
www.amazon.com

In Photos: Hurricane Ian Floods South Carolina
Hurricane Ian made landfall in South Carolina on Friday, bringing massive rain and flooding to the state’s Atlantic…
www.forbes.com

Hurricane Ian barrels toward South Carolina after slamming Florida: Live updates
What we’re covering The latest: Storm system Ian has intensified to a Category 1 hurricane as it heads toward South…
www.cnn.com

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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