Hand Shape: claws with both hands, palms down
Location: upper chest
Tip: as if rain is coming down
Action: move hands downward in a bouncing motion twice
Video transcript: We are going to focus on a rainy day. So for RAIN you will take your open 5 hands and bring them into claw hands with palms down. Then make it RAIN (move hand downward). If it’s light rain you can do it like this. If it is heavy rain you would have it moving sideways. Now a true ASL, a lot of the adverbs to support this sign would be shown on the face. For a heavy rain it would be done like this (puffed cheeks) and for a light rain like this (pursed lips) OR (video clip showing wiggling fingers moving downward). So that’s just a little background for a true ASL structure for the sign RAIN.
Is your child scared of the rain or does he enjoy it? Today take a moment to explore RAIN. With more understanding, children can begin to enjoy a rainy day.
8 Ideas to Teach Children about Rain
- What is rain? Water.
- Where does it come from? Tiny droplets of water in a cloud that get bigger and heavier. When the clouds get big, they cannot hold all of the heavy water.
- Why does it rain? It waters our grass, trees, plants, flowers, and gives drink to our animals and us.
- What are the different ways it rains? A. Rain: showers, precipitation. B. Heavy-downpour: raining cats and dogs, pouring, buckets. C. Light rain: drizzle, mist, sprinkle. In a bad thunderstorm the rain will be heavy; and if it is really windy, the rain can blow sideways.
- Idea: When it rains, be silent and listen as it taps the windows and falls on the roof, watch it on the window pain or fall to the ground or on a puddle.
- Idea: Let kids decorate their own umbrella (on paper or a real umbrella).
- Sing the song: Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.
- Invent games-Count raindrops; match storm clouds (clouds can have raindrops, thunder, or nothing but the dark cloud).
So taking a moment to explain about rain and its importance can help children appreciate rain in a new way.
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