If you are going to teach outdoors, you’ll need to make your peace with some rainy days. Rather than introducing rainy days as yucky weather to tolerate, why not embrace rainy days as an opportunity to explore and play and learn about the water cycle in a hands on way?
Water Cycle Books
These books support cross-curricular learning about water cycles. Even if water cycles are not a curricular content area for your learners this year, these books provide insight on water conservation, efforts to preserve and protect watersheds, and water justice efforts on a global scale.
Water is Water by Miranda Paul and Jason Chin
Water Dance by Thomas Locker
Sometimes Rain by Meg Fleming and Diana Sudyka
I am the Rain by John Paterson
A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney and Michael S. Maydak
All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon
One well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss and Rosemary Woods
Pitter and Patter Martha Sullivan and Cathy Morrison
It’s Raining! by Gail Gibbons
Hey, Water by Antoinette Portis
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick
Making a Splash: How humans consume, control, and care for water by Coleen Nelson
Imaginative Play in the Rain Books
These books normalize rainy day play. Read these books to spark emergent and joyful learning in the rain.
Worm Weather by Jean Taft and Matt Hunt
Who likes rain? by Wong Herbert Yee
Float by Daniel Miyares
On a Magical Do Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna
Split Splat by Amy Gibson and Steve Bjorkmanwaiting out the storm
What Does The Rain Play? by Nancy White Carlstrom
Books that use rain as a metaphor for other life lessons
The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates (kindness, inclusion, hospitality)
Look, it’s raining by Mathieu Pierloot and Maria Dek (looking closely, independent exploration)
Rain by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson (perspective taking)
The Pink Umbrella by Amelie Callot and Geneviève Godbout (Weather specific depression, friendships)
The Water Princess by Susan Verde (access to clean water, human rights, resiliency)
Indigenous Authors
The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson
Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson
We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
There are so many beautiful children’s books being published that touch on this important topic! If you have a picture book or novel that you recommend, please send me a message! I love being introduced to a new book!
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