Sunny Weather, Windy Weather

USA

HISTORY AND SONG NOTES

Sunny Weather, Windy Weather is a Diller-Quaile favorite, and also works well as a circle time song, if you include weather discussion in your circle time. This song can be adapted to include any weather words that are appropriate for the day: Rainy Weather, Cloudy Weather… Snowy Weather, Windy Weather… etc.

Group Circle Game

You may start this game in a standing circle, facing the middle. While singing the song, the children sway or rock from side to side, along with the music. At the end, we like to make a wind blowing sound while we all step in together, tightening the circle, and then step out, widening the circle, as if the wind is blowing us in and out. The children may enjoy waving to each other or patting hands when the circle closes in as well.

You may choose to have the children hold hands throughout the game, which does help to maintain the circle shape. However, for some classes this makes it more difficult to move in and out safely. Please feel free to use your best judgement about this, depending on your children and your space.

Alternately, you can do the above seated, and the children’s waving arms and voice sounds can represent the wind blowing. This may work well for classrooms with limited movement space, or for situations when locomotor movement is difficult.

Older children who are learning about the weather enjoy discussing and deciding what words they should use for the song each day, depending on the weather!