Singing in the Rain

Rain pattering on the window, thunder rumbling in the sky, trees blowing in the breeze…these sounds are all music! Create your own song about weather by asking your students how different types of weather makes them feel. Record their responses on the whiteboard or a large sheet of paper.

You can also pose questions like:

• What activities can you do in this weather?
• Or What time of year does this weather occur?

After you have a weather word bank, piece together what your class brainstormed to build two to four simple lines of lyrics. It can be as simple as: The sun makes me feel joy / When it’s warm outside, I play with my toys.

Now, set your lyrics to the melody of a simple song you all know, like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” or create a melody of your own!

After you’ve chosen your melody, have your students create accompaniment that matches the weather you’re singing about. This accompaniment can be made with found objects in the room, like using blocks to create thunder or body percussion, like snapping, to create rain.

You can even choreograph a corresponding dance or physical movement to go with the weather song you’ve just created.

Now, whenever this weather occurs throughout the school year, your class can sing this song, adding on to it every time!

To support this unit, use the Let’s Have a Party Weather We Want to or Not! Activity.