Clouds -- School-Age
Airplane Art
It Looked Like Split Milk by Charles Shaw
Print the poem "Airplane Art" by Kimberly M. Hutmacher. After reading the poem have the children complete the illustration for the poem.
Art
Rain Clouds
Need: Shaving Cream (foam not gel), Glue, Black paint, Paper plates or card stock, Bowl
In the bowl mix the shaving cream and glue (use as much shaving cream as needed and add enough glue so that the mixture is kind of thick and holds shape). Then add the black paint - just enough to make the shaving cream/glue mixture gray.
Give each child a paper plate or card stock and have them spread the mixture on it. When it dry's you should have fluffy gray rain clouds, just as long as the children don't spread the mixture too thin.
*If you are doing this with younger children watch that they don't eat the shaving cream. Contributed by: Jamie.
Airplane Messages
Need: blue construction paper, cotton balls
Draw an airplane at one end of the construction paper. Airplanes are easy to draw they are just 2 ovals that cross.
Have children write a message behind the airplane (horizontally). Large letters with space between the letters to leave room for the cotton balls. Then glue cotton balls over the letters to create a puffy cloud message.
Blue Skies with Clouds Need: Blue construction paper, cotton balls, glue
Give each child a piece of blue construction paper. Have children pull the cotton ball and glue it at the top of the construction paper to create cirrus clouds. Glue cotton balls in the middle of the paper to create cumulus clouds.
Cirrus: Thin, wispy, curly-shaped clouds that usually form above 18,000 feet.
Cumulus: Puffy clouds. Lumpy clouds that usually have flat bases. Most cumulus clouds form below 6,000 feet.
Science
Make a Cloud
Need: hot water(not boiling), glass bottle, thin piece of cloth, rubber band, crushed ice.
Pour hot(not boiling) water into a glass bottle. When the bottle becomes hot, pour out all but one inch of water. Stretch a thin piece of cloth over the mouth of the bottle and fasten it with a rubber band. Place crushed ice on top of the cloth. Have children observe the cloud that forms as the warm air meets the cold.
Types of Clouds
Cumulus cloud are a white, fluffy cloud often gray on the bottom. Fluffy white clouds that are great for cloud watching are you may see a horse shape and your friend my see a car shape. These are probably the kinds of clouds you draw when you create a picture of the sky, sun, and clouds.
Cumulus Clouds fact and color page
Stratus clouds are low clouds that stretch over large portions of the sky.
Stratus clouds facts and color page
Cirrus clouds are high small streaks of feathery clouds.
Cirrus clouds facts color page
Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus
The three main cloud types.
Video
Things to Do
My Cloud Book
9 page mini-book that students fill in the blanks for cumulus, stratus and cirrus clouds.
