Hey Siri, what’s the weather like today?
My three-year-old daughter, Elena, loves asking Siri this question most mornings. I think she just likes hearing the long answer and seeing forecast come up!
Once I had the volume off, so Elena had to go by the pictures. I asked her what the weather was like, and she said, “It’s gonna be moony.”
Sure enough, the picture that came up for the weather was a moon. 😆
Kids’ brains are so funny. It was a perfectly logical interpretation of the picture. I loved her answer, and sometimes we still say the weather is “moony” at night.
Looking for an organized guide of fun, easy activities to do with your toddler that also encourages their growth and development?
I’ve created a 3-month activity planner just for busy parents like you! The plan includes 65 detailed, simple, and stress-free activities including: arts and crafts, sensory play, motor skills, and STEM–all using easy-to-find supplies.
Let me help make planning activities for your toddler easy, so you can skip the stress and get straight to the fun!
Making Weather Forecasting Stones
I created this simple weather activity for Elena so that I could reclaim my phone in the morning.
All you do is look out the window, and then choose the painted stone that best matches the weather you see!
These weather stones are a great little conversation starter that we use at different times throughout the day whenever we’re curious about what the weather is like today.
At the end of this post is a short list of books about the weather that you can use to further the conversation.
Supplies Needed
Disclosure: We use sponsored, or affiliate, links, which means that we could earn a small commission that helps fund our blog (at no extra cost to you!). All opinions are our own and we only recommend products we love. Thank you for your support and happy shopping!
For this weather activity, you’ll need:
I’ve used this particular brand of glow-in-the-dark paint to make painted rock snakes and bugs and glow-in-the-dark pumpkins.
I like it because it comes in squeeze bottles with a small tip, so only a bit of paint comes out at a time.
Step 1. Paint the Stones
You can see below the symbols I went with for the different types of weather we get here in Midwest America.
I probably could’ve done tornadoes, too, but in the event that we do get a tornado, there’s no way we’ll be anywhere near a window or playing with weather stones, so…
Also, a rainbow is kind of rare occurrence, but my three-year-old LOVES rainbows, so there’s a good chance we’ll see one.
Either way, it’ll be good to use when we talk about what happens during a storm.
I also added a smidge of glitter to make the rocks nice and sparkly.
Step 2. Let It Dry
*play Muzak for four hours*
Step 3. Look out the window
What kind of weather do you see? Grab the stone that matches, and use it as a conversation starter to talk about the weather, temperature, and what we should wear to go outside.
Books About the WEather
Here are a few books about weather. Check them out at your local library or purchase them through our shopping links below!
Tap, Tap, Boom, Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle
This is one of our favorite library finds. It’s poetry, so it’s a little abstract, but it’s so much fun to read. It’s all about how a storm brings people together for a moment as they gather to get out of the bad weather.
The Weather Girls by Aki
This book covers summer, fall, winter, and spring weather in easy-to-read rhymes. I love the pictures, too.
Worm Weather by Jean Taft
What kind of weather is worm weather? Follow along as kids (and worms!) play in rainy weather. Cute illustrations and simple text makes this book fun to read.
National Geographic Little Kids FIrst Big Book of Weather by Karen de Seve
Nonfiction can totally be fun. This book will teach you all about weather, and the photos are brilliant enough to be stared at for hours.
*Free with FreeTime
Hello, World! Weather board book by Jill McDonald
This board book is a cute way to learn about weather with your toddler. It goes through the seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) and wearing the appropriate clothes for each season.
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Much as we love singing “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” rain plays a vital role in our world. It cools the earth, helps plants grow, and provides water for animals to drink.