Weather, Rainbows, & St. Patty's Day

march weather craft with cloud and rainbow rain
Photo Source: Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie

We tweeted about this great craft earlier today and just couldn't help but share it here - with a few alternatives! Originally created by Amanda and Maddie of Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie, this craft wins the "trifecta" of March projects - it's perfect for learning about weather {a great unit for March and the legend of the lion and the lamb!}, ideal for St. Patrick's Day {rainbows are a staple!}, and fantastic for ushering out your classroom winter decor and heralding in the spring!

Original Supply List

  • Card stock or cardboard cloud cutout
  • Elmer's school glue or white craft paint
  • White crepe paper, ripped into strips/pieces
  • Card stock raindrop cutout
  • Foam sheets in assorted colors
  • Thread
  • Needle

Amanda and Maddie created their cloud by cutting the shape from a cereal box, painting it white, and covering the wet paint with strips of crepe paper. You might also consider painting the cutout with homemade fluffy paint, made from shaving cream and Elmer's school glue, to give it a "realistic" puffy/cloud quality or affixing cotton balls to the wet paint.

The original craft call for the use of the card stock raindrop cutout to create "colored rain" from the foam sheets. You might also consider creating the raindrops from cellophane in assorted colors - when hung from the ceiling or window, the drops act as mini suncatchers, creating bursts of color in the classroom - or old paint chips to add interesting color variations and recycle classroom materials.

Other Project Bonuses...

  • Stringing the raindrops together will provide your students with fine motor practice
  • Consider incorporating a lesson on patterning, having students practice making simple patterns as they string their raindrops

Pair this project with some weather- or St. Patrick's Day-themed literature/poetry {depending on which unit you wish to incorporate the craft into} and your students are sure to have a ball!

Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie: Rainbow Rain