Choose a weather helper for the day. Preschool children are very talkative, so choosing only one child per day for observations will streamline the graphing process. Ask the child about the day's weather and discuss his observations with the group.
Make a large weather calendar for the students to record their observations. Using a marker, divide a large piece of chart paper into vertical segments representing the five days of the school week. At the top of each segment, write the day of the week and the date. You may create this chart beforehand, or draw it every Monday with the students.
Select an appropriate weather symbol for the day and affix it to the chart below the date. To make these symbols, cut colored paper into squares and draw weather pictures on them using markers. Draw symbols for all types of weather, including sun, clouds, wind, rain, snow, fog, lightning and thunder. Underneath the symbol, write the word for the weather type. Listen to the students' word choices and introduce a variety of weather vocabulary.
Show the children a thermometer and note the temperature indoors. Demonstrate how to read a traditional thermometer and explain that higher mercury means hotter temperatures. Either affix an outdoor thermometer to the window so you may read it from inside or bring the children outside for a few minutes to make an accurate outdoor temperature reading. Write the temperature on the calendar underneath the weather type.
Talk about the seasons with the children. Tell them what season it is and discuss seasonal weather patterns. Ask them if they think the weather today is normal for the season or unusual. You may also address geographical variations by comparing the weather in other locations. Preschool children will enjoy imagining themselves in a different classroom far away, experiencing different weather.
Check the forecast for tomorrow with the children. Note the expected temperature and weather type, especially how it differs from today. Discuss appropriate clothing for tomorrow and teach the children weather-related clothing words, such as scarf, hat or raincoat. Tomorrow, recall the day's predictions and observe whether they came true.
Use another piece of chart paper to create a temperature graph. Title the chart "Our Weather Graph" and label the x-axis "Date" and the y-axis "Temperature." Each day, place a dot on the graph corresponding to the temperature for that day, as read by the thermometer. Connect today's dot to yesterday's dot with a line while discussing whether the temperature went up or down. You may extend the graph for weeks or months by taping together pieces of chart paper in a horizontal line. Roll up the graph for easy storage.