Welcome to Playful Preschool! Every Wednesday we bring you a themed activity with a small group of bloggers consisting of teachers and parents who want to offer hands on playful learning to their preschooler.
This weeks theme is: Weather
As always catch up with us on social media by checking out the hashtag #playfulpreschool and see the bottom of this post for more weather ideas!
Our aim for our weather exploration was to see which way the wind was blowing. Today was also a rather windy day so it worked out well.
I give you the Pinwheel weathervane!
Gather your supplies. You need:
- Stiff plastic or cardstock for your pin wheel
- 2 straws
- A kebab stick
- 2 pins
- Painter tape (pretty painters tape!) I’m thinking washi would work or thin duct tape
- Scissors
Cut out a 5″x5″ square from your chosen materials for the pinwheel. Fold the square in on itself in triangles and press firmly on the seams so they crease.
Cut up the seams leaving a solid square in the center. Poke a pin hole in every 2nd corner and then test your pinwheel design by holding down with your finger. Stick the pin threw it.
Use painters tape on the back of the pinwheel to give a sturdier backing. Cut a small bit of straw so that the pinwheel is further away from the stem then poke through a long straw. You will need to make sure there is still some pin left as in the pic below. Now get the 2nd straw and tape these 3 sections together! Use as much tape as you think you need.
Once this is all covered you will have a stem which will fit over your kebab stick and a tail end waiting for its tail attachment.
Take a cut off from your pinwheel materials. Mine was about 5″x2″ and fold it in on itself, secure with a pin and stick it through the tail end of your pinwheel weathervane.
I then bent the pin, it wasn’t hard I could do it with my fingers, and taped it down for further tail support.
Off we went outside! To the dirt heep.
(It’s been raining lately and our grass is wild!)
Stick your kebab stick in the ground and slip the pinwheel weathervane on top of it. This allows it to pivot in whichever way the wind wants! NEAT HEY!?
Now hopefully you have some wind. Extended activities beside watching in fascination for a preschooler is to get this project out every day and document on paper which way the wind is blowing.
This little pinwheel of course does not do well in strong winds!
Love it? Pin it!!
A short little video of the pinwheel weathervane in action!!
Post by Powerful Mothering.
Take a look at what the playful preschool team has for you on weather!
- Preschool Songs: I’m a Cloud by Growing Book By Book
- Let’s Make Rain: A Pre-Writing Activity by The Educators’ Spin On It
- How Hard has it Rained? A Preschool Science Investigation by Rainy Day Mumm
- Weather Sensory Bin by Fun-A-DayRain in a Jar by Tiny Tots Adventures
- Create Your Own Clouds with Preschoolers by Life Over C’s
- Simple Evaporation Experiment by Capri + 3
- Explore Clouds and Rain for Fine Motor Practice by Mom Inspired Life
Last weeks playful preschool: RAINBOWS!
+ There are no comments
Add yours