An Emotional Weather Barometer

Educators can use this activity to connect weather patterns to human emotions. This activity aligns with the National Arts Standards: Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting.

Materials Needed: Chart paper, markers

1. Gather students in a circle or cozy area of the room and
   begin by talking about different types of weather, like
   sunny days, windy mornings and snowy weekends.
2. Ask students how they feel when those weather events
   are happening. Perhaps they feel happy, sad, worried
   or another kind of emotion.
3. As students share their thoughts, jot down their
   responses on chart paper.
4. After everyone has had the chance to share, review the
   list you’ve created and invite students to embody each
   emotion, taking time to talk through each one to better
   understand the nuance of each emotion.
5. Next, turn the group’s focus to rainy weather and ask
   them questions like: What emotion(s) do you feel when
   it’s raining? What are some activities you can only do
   when it’s raining? What memories come to mind when
   you think of rain? Hold space for students to share
   their rainy-day emotions and activities.
6. Have a group discussion about how different weather
   makes us feel and why. Help them understand that it’s
   okay to have different emotions in different situations.
   For instance, maybe a student feels sad when it’s sunny
   or happy when it’s raining. Celebrate that!

Reflection Questions:

• How do you think your emotions change when you
  experience different types of weather?
• Can you share a time when you felt really happy or
  cozy during a specific kind of weather?
• What are some ways we can support each other when
  someone feels a little down because of the weather?