Have the children tie a raindrop bead to a length of yarn that is looped through a straw. Watch it travel up the straw when pulling down on the yarn. Glue the bottom of the straw to a weighted cup and glue a cloud to the top of the straw. The bead should travel from the ocean or ground (evaporation), up to the cloud (condensation) then back down the other side (precipitation) and back to the ground (collection).
Older elementary children will remember the importance of rain from many stories by making their own rain gauge. A ruler to measure the rain is attached to a vial that will hold water. Place this in a stand, created by salt dough, so it will be held upright to catch the rain. Children will measure the rain and even measure the evaporation of the rain.
The Biblical story of Noah and the Ark with its 40 long days and nights of rain is illustrated and remembered by making your own ark out of papier mache. Cover the bottom half of a balloon with strips of newspaper that have been saturated in a thin solution of flour, salt and water or a white glue thinned with water. Let the ark dry standing on a flat surface for three days. The ark can then be painted and filled with small animals crafted from salt dough
Classic children's stories with rain themes almost always involve an umbrella. Have the children draw a rainy picture involving an umbrella. Cut fabric umbrellas to be glue on top of the drawn umbrella handle. Pinch folds in the material to look like umbrella ribs and add a small button to the top. Add dots of glue to the whole picture, except for under the umbrella. Sprinkle rice over the glue dots and allow several hours to dry. Shake off the excess rice.