Inclement Weather Planning

Inclement Weather:  Sometimes it just hits us without warning!

A snow day (where it is just too snowy to get outside),  a rainy day, a high heat index day, a cold day…or a longer term weather snap of any of these can put a huge dent in our plans!  You know how it goes, you've planned and gathered supplies for all kinds of outdoor activities and then- POOF- the weather is not cooperating!  It’s raining or snowing too heavily to go outside, or it is just plain TOO cold or TOO hot!  

Some of the activities you have planned would work just fine indoors (like painting with snow…you can bring the snow inside),  but what about that activity where the kids are going to go outside for a snowball fight, or build a snowman or just plain run around in the snow?  When the bad weather hits, those gross motor activity ideas are gone!  

And sometimes, this inclement weather hangs on for days or weeks.

Now what???  

It is important for us to anticipate a bad weather snap!  We never know when it will come, but let’s be prepared for it.

When our preschoolers have not been able to get outside due to weather, that means the only outside time they have is getting into or out of the car to get to and from school.  That means lots of cabin fever and lots of pent up energy!

Some of the activities will work just fine indoors, but what about that activity where the kids are going to use buckets of water and paintbrushes and paint the building or the sidewalk?  So much for that gross motor activity!

Rainy Day Activities

Planning in advance for a rainy day when you can't get outside will keep your preschoolers active and you sane! Planning in advance for rainy days will help you to be prepared

Bad Weather Busters Box

Sometimes the weather just does not allow you to get outside for days or sometimes weeks!  This creates a lot of cabin fever for the children and for us!

You need some ideas to draw on when this happens!  Enter the "Bad Weather Busters Box".  This is a recipe box or file folder or a decorative can that has index cards with ideas in it.

Unlike the Rainy Day Activity back up plan, where you have all the actual supplies in a box for when it rains, you will simply have a list of gross motor activities at your fingertips for these periods of weather where you can not get outside.

I say you will not have the actual supplies put aside because these ideas might:

Utilize furniture in your classroom

Require the use of a parachute that you use at other times or share with other classrooms

Require  a CD and CD Player that you use at other times. 

Plan for Inclement Weather in Advance!

Planning in advance will keep your children active during days or longer periods of inclement weather when they can't get outside and burn off that energy they have meeting two goals:  

Keeping them active and healthy.

Helping them burn off energy that, when not burned off, can contribute to boredom or frustration causing arguments among friends!

Happy Planning!