Introduction
We've talked about things we see in the sky, like the Sun, Moon, stars, and clouds. But other things happen in the sky. Sometimes, even when the Sun is supposed to be shining, clouds cover it up, and it becomes dark outside. If the clouds are really heavy, they might even start to sprinkle water. This is called rain, and it happens when clouds get full of water.
Task
Students will create and decorate "umbrellas" using coffee filters. The students will color their own filters using markers. Then, the teacher will distribute water pipettes. Students will retrieve water using their pipettes and place droplets of water on their umbrella. The colors should begin to run, illustrating the movement of water across a paper surface.
Process
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWb4KlM2vts]
Students will watch the aforementioned video on the water cycle. This demonstrates how rain is formed. For now, the teacher should focus on the concept that rain comes from clouds that are too "heavy".
The teacher will then ask students to find their seats, where they will begin coloring their coffee filters with washable markers. After each student is finished decorating his/her "umbrella", the teacher will instruct the students to use the pipettes to retrieve water from a shared table jar. The water will then be used to make the washable colors on the coffee filter run, similarly to how rain behaves when falling on real umbrellas.
Evaluation
Evaluation for this session will be entirely formative/informal. The teacher will walk around, ensuring that students remain on task and that they understand why water makes the colors run (AND how that mimics how rain behaves when striking an umbrella).
Credits
Coffee Filter Umbrellas - http://www.preschool-plan-it.com/preschool-rain-theme.html
Teacher Page
Missouri Early Learning Standard, Science, Earth and Space:
III.4.d. Represents observations about Earth and space in a variety of ways; talks about Earth and space.