RIC-0513 Weather and Climate Lower

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Written by 

Roslyn Kay and Wendy Harris 

http://www.ricgroup.com.au 

R.I.C. Publications 

RIC-0513 3.7/327

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Weather and Climate - Lower Primary 

Foreword 

Written by Roslyn Kay and Wendy Harris 

Weather affects us in all aspects of our life. It is important to have a good understanding of the different 

elements of weather and how they affect our environment. This package provides a variety of activities that 

investigate weather in a creative and enjoyable manner. The contents link in well to a variety of curriculum 

areas including science, social studies and mathematics. 

A glossary is included to assist with the development of relevant language. Words found throughout the 

activities in bold text can be located in the glossary. 

Glossary .......................................................... ii 

What is Weather ...............................................1 

Weather Mobile ................................................2 

Today's Weather ..............................................3 

The Weather this Week ....................................4 

What is Climate?...............................................5 

The Sky ..............................................................6 

Water Cycle ......................................................7 

Rain ...................................................................8 

What is a Cloud? ..............................................9 

Wet and Dry .................................................... 10 

Water............................................................... 11 

Hail and Snow ................................................ 12 

Thunderstorms................................................ 13 

Thunder and Lightning .................................. 14 

Colour the Rainbow ....................................... 15 

Air and Wind .................................................. 16 

Air and Wind (2).............................................. 17 

Contents 

The Birth of a New Season ............................. 18 

Summer .......................................................... 19 

Autumn ........................................................... 20 

Winter .............................................................. 21 

Spring .............................................................. 22 

Warm in Winter –␣ Cool in Summer ............... 23 

Animals from Hot and Cold Countries .......... 24 

Yearly Weather Calendar ............................. 25 

Meteorologists ................................................. 26 

Australia's under the Weather....................... 27 

Measuring the Weather ................................. 28 

Make a Weathervane and Rain Gauge ....... 29 

Make a Snowflake .......................................... 30 

A Wet One - Poem .......................................... 31 

One Dark, Stormy Night ................................. 32 

Weather Word Sleuth .................................... 33 

Testing the Weather ....................................... 34 



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Weather and Climate 

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Glossary 

Air 

Air pressure 

Air temperature 

Atmosphere 

Barometer 

Climate 

Clouds 

Deciduous 

Drought 

Evaporation 

Forecast 

Flood 

Hail 

Hibernate 

Each word in the glossary has been set in bold print throughout the package. 

Lightning 

Maximum temperature 

Minimum temperatre 

Meteorologist 

Rain 

Rain gauge 

Reservoir 

Satellite 

Seasons 

Snow 

Space 

Thermometer 

Thunder 

Water vapour 

Weather 

Weathervane 

Wind 

Gases that surround the earth. 

The weight of the air pressing down on the earth. 

The amount of heat in the air. 

Air around the earth. 

An instrument for measuring air pressure. 

Seasonal weather or yearly weather. 

Water drops that form in the air. 

Trees that lose their leaves. 

A severe shortage of water. 

Heated water that disappears into the air. 

To predict the weather. 

When too much rain falls. 

Small pellets of ice that fall like rain. 

Sleep in winter. 

An electric spark in the sky. 

The highest or hottest temperature. 

The lowest or coldest temperature. 

A person who studies the weather and atmosphere. 

Droplets of water that fall from the sky. 

Measures the amount of rain that falls. 

A place where water is stored. 

Human-made 'spaceship' that circles the earth. 

Four weather divisions of the year being summer, 

autumn, winter and spring. 

Ice crystals that fall from the sky. 

The sky above the atmosphere. 

Measures the heat in the air. 

The noise that occurs with lightning. 

The gas from heated water. 

The daily conditions in the atmosphere. 

An instrument that shows the direction of the wind. 

The flow of air over the earth. 



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What is Weather? 

Each year the Earth follows a pattern of 

S E A S O N S and C L I M A T E. 

There are many signs of weather; for example: 

CLOUDS 

Three things make the signs of weather: 

AIR 

WIND 

WATER 

RAIN 

Place these words in the correct space below. 

1. gives us energy, light and heat. 

LIGHTNING 

2. makes a layer around the earth. 

3. is found in oceans, lakes, rivers and 

puddles. 

What are some other uses of air, water and sun, for example; 

pumping up a tyre, having a shower, drying the washing. 

SUN 



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Weather Mobile 

Make a weather mobile showing the three weather signs. 

You will need a wire coat hanger. 

W E A T H E R 

WEATHER 

Water 



2 

Sun 



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Air 


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Today's Weather 

Today is . 

Colour in the weather for today. 

HOT COLD RAINING CLOUDY 



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WINDY STORMS SNOWY 

HAIL 

Yesterday the minimum (coldest) temperature was . 

Yesterday the maximum (hottest) temperature was . 



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The Weather this Week 

Week 

Name 

Find out how cold and how hot it got each day of the week. Put 

a tick if it was sunny, cloudy, windy, or if it rained. 

MONDAY 

TUESDAY 

WEDNESDAY 

THURSDAY 

FRIDAY 

SATURDAY 

SUNDAY 

Minimum 

(coldest) 

temperature 

Maximum 

(hottest) 

temperature 

RAIN WIND CLOUD SUN 



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For how many days of the week did it rain? 

For how many days of the week did the sun shine? 

Which day was the coldest? 

Which day was the hottest? 



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What is Climate? 

The weather varies according to where you live. This weather 

makes your climate. Different parts of the world have different 

climate. The weather in each part of the world is important to the 

people, plants and animals that live there. Cut out and glue one 

plant and one animal from below onto the right climate section 

of the earth. 

Plants 

The World's Climate Zones 

North Pole 

Animals 

Very cold 

Warm 

Hot 

Warm 

Very cold 



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South Pole 

No plants 

No plants 

Kangaroo Elephant Seal 

Pine tree 

Pineapple 

Penguin 

Bison 

Gum tree 



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The 

HSky 

The sky looks like a big picture. As the weather changes, so does 

the picture. 

Cut and paste some or all of the weather symbols below to make 

your sky picture. Add extras if you wish by drawing them in. Think 

of some exciting colours you can use. Is it a sunset, sunrise or a 

storm perhaps? 



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Black/white clouds 

Snowflakes 

Sun 

Rainbow 


Lightning 


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Rain 


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Water Cycle 

This is how it rains. 

➞ 

Sun 

➞ ➞ 

➞ 

➞ 

➞ 



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The land 

The sea 

Colour in the picture of how it rains. 



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Rain 

The sun warms the sea. When the water gets warm, some of it 

changes into a gas called water vapour and goes into the air to 

make clouds. 

The wind blows the clouds over the land. When the clouds go 

higher, the water vapour in the clouds gets cooler and turns back 

into water drops. 

The water falls. This is rain. 



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Trace over the dots and colour in the rain picture. 



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What is a Cloud? 

Clouds are made up of millions of tiny drops of water which float in 

the air. 

Make your own clouds by writing in words under each tiny drop of 

water. These words should describe your cloud. 

+ + = 

+ + = 

On a very cold day you can make your own small cloud. Every 

time you breathe out of your mouth your moist breath meets the 

cold air. Try it the next time there is a cold day. 



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Fill in the clouds. 

What do you think these two children are saying to each other on 

this very cold day? 



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Wet and Dry 

Answer with 'wet' or 'dry'. 

A desert is . 

A river is . 

Rain is . 

Under an umbrella it is . 

An ice block is . 

Dust is . 

In a raincoat I stay . 

Playing in puddles I get . 

Is it a dry day today or a wet day? Draw a picture of today's 

weather. 



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Water 

Trace over the dotted words to complete these sentences. 

On farms, water is stored in , dams and wells. 

In the city, water is stored in big called reservoirs. 

All living things need water. 

Solid water is called . It is used to keep food cold, to skate 

on, and to stop swelling and pain if you have an accident. 

A cactus can store . 

helps the garden grow. 

A drought is caused by not enough . 

Water is . 



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Hail and Snow 

Trace these weather words and draw a picture for each one. 

Hail is frozen raindrops. 

Have you ever seen hail? 

When? 

Snow is frozen water vapour. 

Have you ever seen snow? 

When? 



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Thunderstorms 

Hot, wet air rises up fast and cools quickly. Dark clouds are in the 

sky. We see lightning first and then we hear thunder. The bigger 

the lightning, the louder the thunder! 

Lightning is an electric spark. Thunder is the noise made by 

lightning moving through the air. 

Draw a picture of a thunderstorm. 



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Thunder and Lightning 

Lightning is electricity in the air. 

Water droplets and dust particles rub and pull about and so 

become electric. This electricity is attracted to the electricity in the 

same cloud, or other clouds. It is also attracted to other areas like 

trees, the ground or buildings. It shoots through the air and makes 

a glow which is a lightning flash. 

When lightning flashes through the air it heats up the air and a 

short time later we hear the sound of thunder. 

Lightning comes before thunder. 

Apart from lightning, can you name and draw three things you 

use that need electricity? 



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Apart from thunder, can you name and draw three things that 

make a loud noise. 



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Colour the Rainbow 

R = Red 

O = Orange 

Y = Yellow 

G = Green 

B = Blue 

I = Indigo 

V = Violet 



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R 

O 

Y 

G 

B 

I 

V 

Rainbows are made by the sunlight shining through raindrops. 



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Air and H Wind 

If air is moving we can feel it. Go outside and list six things you can 

see moving because the wind is blowing them. 

The wind can blow from many directions – north, north-east, east, 

south-east, south, south-west, west, north-west. 

Write these wind directions on the weathervane below. 

N –W 

W 

N 

N –E 



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E 

S –W 

S –E 

S 



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Air and 

HWind (2) 

Moving air, and the wind's direction, come from air pressure and 

the air temperature. Warm air rises so cold air rushes in below it. 

A wind is named after the direction it blows from. An easterly 

blows from the east. Many people use a weathervane to tell 

them wind direction. 

Why do you think a football team would use a 

weathervane? 

Why would a firefighter use a weathervane? 

Why would a person fishing use a weathervane? 

Make your own weathervane. You will need: 

20 strips of coloured paper, a sheet of A4 paper, scissors and glue. 

Glue strips to long 

side of A4 paper. 

(a) 



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Roll up from side (a). Use a 

pencil to help. Glue the 

side and leave to dry. 

Take your weathervane outside. Is there a breeze blowing? 

Can you work out from which direction the wind is blowing? 



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The Birth of a New Season 

Trace over the seasons. 

December, January and February make up the season of: 

March, April and May make up the season of: 

June, July and August make up the season of: 

September, October and November make up the season of: 

What is your birth-date? 

Check above to find out what season you were born in. 

Make a tally of everyone in your class showing what season they 

were born in. 

Summer Total Autumn Total 

Winter Total Spring Total 

What was the most popular season? 

What was the least popular season? 



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Summer 

DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY 

Fill in the missing words to make a summer story. 

Hot 

Fires 

Camping 

In summer the days are very 

any . 

Harvest 

to keep cool. Some people like to go 

. We like to go to the 

in the bush, but they must be careful not to start 

We can even play or watch a game of 

summer holidays. The farmers 

Christmas 

Beach 

Vegetables 

Cricket 

in the 

their crops and 

market gardeners pick the new season fruit and . 



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Look through magazines for two different pictures of people 

doing summer activities. 

Can you name some 

more summer activities? 



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Autumn 

MARCH APRIL MAY 

Autumn is the season of change from the hot summer to 

preparing plants, animals and people for the coming winter. 

Changing colours and falling leaves are a part of autumn. Trees 

that lose their leaves are called deciduous trees. The leaves on 

these trees turn yellow, red, orange or brown before they fall to the 

ground. 

Trace your hand below. Write a short poem on your hand called 

Falling Leaves. Now colour your hand in one or more of the 

above autumn colours. Cut out your hand and paste it onto a 

tree trunk with the rest of your class to make an autumn tree. 



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Winter 

JUNE JULY AUGUST 

Winter is our cold season when the growth of our plants and trees 

slows down. The days are shorter and the mornings can be foggy 

or frosty. We see another change in our lives. Our clothing is 

heavier and warmer and our food is made up of hot dishes; for 

example, soup, stews and porridge. Some animals hibernate (go 

into hiding and sleep). A few places in Australia have snow. 

Colour the items of clothing below, then cut them out and dress 

the person for a winter's day. Unjumble the names of the clothes. 

nbaiee 

rsfca 

cktjae 



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lvoges 

sneja 

bbrure tobso 



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Spring 

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER 

Spring is the season of new growth. Trees show signs of life, 

flowers bloom, and many baby animals are born. 

Draw the following spring pictures. 

Spring days are warm. Many 

families go on picnics. 

On farms lambs, calves and 

foals run around in the fields. 



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Brightly coloured flowers 

bloom, making gardens 

look pretty. 

Spring fashion parades and 

festivals are run for 

people to enjoy. 



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Warm in Winter –␣ Cool in Summer 

A seal has thick layers of fat under 

its skin to keep the cold out. 

An otter has two coats to keep its skin dry. 

A bird fluffs out its feathers to keep 

warm. 

A snake goes to sleep in the winter (hibernates). 

Pick your favourite animal. What does it do to keep warm in 

winter or cool in the summer? 

Draw a picture. 



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Animals from Hot and Cold Countries 

COLD 

HOT 

Cut out the animals and paste them into the place where they 

come from. 



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Yearly Weather Calendar 

Fill in the calendar below by writing , drawing pictures or finding 

magazine pictures of events or activities that take place for each 

season. These might include sports, clothing, foods, plants, 

outdoor activities or the weather. 

December, 

November, October, 

January, February 

Summer 

Spring 

September 

March, April, May 

Autumn 



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Winter 

August, July, 

June 



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Meteorologists 

People who tell us what the weather is going to be like 'forecast' 

the weather. They are called meteorologists. Their job is to tell us if 

it is going to be hot or cold, wet or windy, sunny or cloudy. They 

also forecast cyclones and storms. 

Answer these questions by circling Yes or No. 

Should you stay inside if there is a storm? YES NO 

Should you wear a raincoat in the rain? YES NO 

Do you wear a hat on a hot day? YES NO 

Can you fly a kite if there is no wind? YES NO 

Should you put sunscreen on when you 

go outside? YES NO 

Can you forecast what the weather is going to be like 

tomorrow? Draw a symbol for your weather forecast. 



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Australia's under the Weather 

Read the weather forecast below. Find the correct weather 

symbols for each Australian capital city. Colour in, then cut them 

out and glue them on the map near the correct capital city. 

Perth 

Darwin 

Adelaide 

In Melbourne today we can expect 

more rain. Sydney will be sunny and 

Brisbane will be cloudy. Perth will be very 

windy while Darwin will have 

thunderstorms. Adelaide will be fine but 

cloudy. Wear plenty of warm clothes in 

Hobart today because you can expect 

snowy conditions. 

Brisbane 

Melbourne 

Sydney 



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Hobart 



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Measuring the Weather 

All these things measure the weather. 

Rain gauge 

Satellite 

Weather balloon 

Thermometer 

Barometer 



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A rain gauge measures . 

A thermometer measures the . 

A satellite takes 

A barometer measures 

of the weather. 

pressure. 



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Make a Weathervane and Rain Gauge 

Weathervane 

For the weathervane you will need: 

A cork 

A drinking straw 

A pin 

A small triangle of firm paper or card 

Push the pin into the centre of the drinking straw and then into the 

centre of the cork. Glue the triangle onto one end of the straw 

and secure the cork onto a firm surface where it can turn in the 

breeze. 

Now you can tell which way the wind is blowing. 

Rain Gauge 

For the rain gauge you will need: 

A 1 or 2 litre plastic cool drink bottle 

Masking tape 

Water 



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Cut the cool drink bottle in half and put the top half upside-down 

inside the bottom half. 

Stick a strip of masking tape on the outside of the bottle and pour 

10 millilitres of water at a time into the bottle. Make a mark on the 

masking tape at each 10–millilitre level. Empty the bottle and 

stand it outside away from trees and buildings. 



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Make a Snowflake 

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Fold and cut or draw lines or a pattern on the shape to make your 

own snowflake. 



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A Wet One - Poem 

It is wet everywhere. 

Fog clouds mist the air. 

Hail rattles on the roof. 

Snow floats gently down. 

Rain pitter-patters on the roof. 

Frost glistens on the ground. 

All these things are wet - not dry, 

Have you ever wondered why? 

Here are some more weather words. Can you use them to write a 

poem or story? 

Sun Cool Storm Cold 

Fog 

Hail 

Frost Cloud 

Wind 

Dry 

Dew 

Wet 

Snow Warm Hot 



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One Dark, Stormy Night 

Weather can play an important part in many stories; 

for example, 

Sail Away by Mem Fox and Storm Boy by Colin Thiele 

Storms at night are great for writing about scary stories . 

Read these picture words to do with storms. 

wind howling 

rain beating 

Now use these words to help you write your own scary story 

starting with… 

One dark, stormy night 

thunder roaring 

lightning flashing 



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Weather Word Sleuth 

Circle these words in the word sleuth below. You can go across or 

downwards. 

Rain Cold Dry Storm 

Sun Hot Snow Rainbow 

Shade Wet Hail Wind 

c o l d s c d s s r 

m s r h a i l v r a 

w t v o t f z n t i 

i o x t b s p m l n 

n r l o r v n r k x 

d m d s n o w d s l 

p l m k e j v r o t 



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s h a d e f g y w s 

i w z h p h l r e u 

r a i n b o w d t n 



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Testing the Weather 

Test yourself on your weather knowledge. Read the clues then fill 

in the missing letters. The first letter is already done for you. 

W 

Moving air. 

E 

A 

T 

H 

E 

R 

We have these days in 

summer. 

The planet we live on. 

A direction the wind blows from. 

Water that falls from the sky. 

Can you remember the missing colours of the rainbow? 

R O Yellow G 

B Indigo V 

A season of the year. 

Noise after 

lightning 



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Colour the summer months yellow, the autumn months orange, 

the winter months blue, the spring months green. 

January June August December March July 

April September February October May November 



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RIC-0513 Weather and Climate Lower

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