By: Damary Lizardo, NEC Program Associate
Here at NEC we have had several sessions now in our Family Storytime Series, a new program where we bring virtual activities to families that enrich a child’s learning experience at home. Our Educational Consultants and Family Specialists lead these trainings on a variety of subjects. Our fourth session was an interactive lesson on the topic of weather, led by our Educational Consultant Helene Gallagher. She presented some important tips on making lessons about weather more accessible for all learners.
Include all senses .
Weather is something that is experienced using a variety of senses. Teaching about weather should also engage multiple senses. It can be felt, touched, tasted, seen and heard. Including multiple sensory experiences in lessons about weather ensures that different types of learners can benefit from the instruction. Crafts can also be made more accessible by including tactile aspects.
Use existing resources!
Helene shared some of her favorite resources for parents and educators during this session. These can act as a launching pad for future learning:
- Weather for Kids: Free Games, Experiments, Projects, Activities, Science Online provides a starting place for planning learning activities around weather
- The Daily Moth: YouTube is a Youtube channel providing news in ASL
- Seasons & Weather from PBS Kids includes a Calendar of Activities
- Seasons is a online CVI Book resource
- Weather Archives – Little Bins for Little Hands provides ideas for science experiments
- Sensory Areas: Weather – Paths to Literacy introduces ideas for learning through the senses, including songs about the weather
- Weather Book for Children with CVI: Paths to Literacy is another resource from Perkins on accessible weather learning materials
- Unite for Literacy provides picture books that are narrated
- Monarch Reader another resource for narrated books
- National Geographic Kids includes pictures, videos, articles, and activities on a variety of topics
Watch our recorded session led by Education Consultant Helene Gallagher below to learn more:
