Make Your Own Weatherboard

I created this weatherboard to help give Declan, my four year old, some direction for the day. The weather is an opportunity for conversation with our children. Noticing the weather can teach us to become more observant while also giving our children some understanding as to why and how we plan for the day.

This took a few hours to create (broken up over a couple days) and was made with items I already had at home!

Materials: large cardboard, dry erase marker, berry container, markers or paint sticks, Velcro dots, tape, or hot glue, pipe cleaner or yarn, pony bead, brad, 5-10 mini clothespins and 1 regular clothespin

STEPS

Weather Types

1. Cut out your cardboard. I cut ours in the shape of a semi-circle/tombstone and used the white cardboard which packages our Nugget play couch.

2. Use a ruler to equally mark 6 sections at the top semi-circle. Sketch a simple weather type in each section: sunny, cloudy, rainy, storming, windy, snow, or add weather types that are more typical in your area. Color with markers or paint sticks.

3. Make an arrow out of cardboard.

4. Punch a tiny hole (tiny is key as it will help the arrow stay upright) in the bottom of the semi-circle (see photo) and insert the arrow.

Temperature Gauge

1. Use a ruler to equally measure 7 sections. With a marker or paint sticks, shade in the ranges, moving from very hot to very cold.

2. Attach your string/pipe cleaner. I used mesh tubing but get it from Dollar Tree! Then, I looped on the pony bead, and tied in the back. You want string that is thick enough that it will hold the pony bead in place.

Clothesline

1. Attach the twine. I used the jute cord from Dollar Tree, and wrapped it tightly to the back. Attach mini clothespins- the larger ones won't work here because they're too heavy. Sketch out simple designs for clothing you could wear in different temperatures. You can look up "drawing of shorts, etc." on Google to get started. Ideas: t-shirt, shorts, sunglasses, sunblock, cap, winter hat, gloves, swimsuit, flipflops, umbrella, rainboots. Color (I used paint sticks).

Days of the Week

1. Cut out 7 strips of cardstock or construction paper.

2. Write a day on each and attach to one of the sides of the board. This is important so you can utilize the clothespin.

3. Attach a clothespin that you can move daily.

Months/Season

1. Cut out two pieces of cardboard.

2. Cover with packing tape.

3. Write with dry erase marker so you can simply erase and change these out monthly and by season.

Tree

1. Cut out a cardboard square and sketch a bare tree on it. Then, color it with marker or paint sticks.

2. Remove the sticker from the lid of a berry container. Rubbing alcohol will help remove any stubborn residue.

3. Cut the top part out, leaving the lip on the outer perimeter.

4. Slip the cardboard tree square in behind the container, then hot glue the container to the weatherboard. The tree might shift a little bit if it is smaller than the container, so you may want to hot glue it to the container or the back of the weatherboard if you prefer. As the seasons change, you can draw on the berry container with bright dry erase markers. (Green leaves, flowers, apples, a tire swing, red/yellow/orange leaves, leaves falling, a bird, Christmas lights). The bare tree gives you a blank canvas you can easily change.