Rainbows

Look at all the different colors in rainbow, can he see them all – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet? Why is he seeing rainbow now and not at other times? Explain how the effect is produced when there is rain and sunshine together.
Have fun painting a rainbow, or making one with small pieces of colored paper, when you get home.

Sun’s rays shinning through the clouds

Point out this very beautiful phenomenon when you cannot see the sun but its rays shine down through the clouds. Can your child tell you where the rays are coming from?
Again, encourage use of his imagination by asking him to make up a story of what could be behind the cloud causing such a strange effect in the sky.

Cloud formations

Look out for different types of clouds on different days, indicating rainy (solid, grey skies), thundery (cauliflower – shaped, dark grey clouds), windy (wispy, white clouds) and fine weather (fluffy, white, cotton-wool clouds). On occasions, separate clouds are visible, white at other times; the clouds merge into each other to give an overall sky color.
Once you have shown your child the different shapes of cloud and explained what they mean, can he become a ‘weather forecaster’ and suggest what you and he should wear when you go out will it be hot/cold/wet/dry?

Aero plane vapor trails

Encourage your child to look out for these trails in the sky. What does he think has caused them? Notice that they are only visible against a blue sky. Look out for the various different shapes of these vapors trails- some thin straight lines, directly behind aircraft, some water wider trails, as they later spread out and others which are blown into beautiful shapes, resembling ferns, as the wind catches the trail. Notice how the blue sky is often cut dramatically in two by these white areas.
Encourage your child to use his imagination to tell you what shapes the aeroplanes have drawn in the sky - the more fantastic the better!

High-tide mark

If you walk along the high-tide mark, you find lots of debris washed up there. Notice the sea-birds scavenging around, looking for food. Look out for different kinds of seaweed, shells, crab shells, sea urchins, cuttlefish and possibly other sea creatures (especially following storms). Sadly, you will all too often find plastic and glass rubbish as well, washed ashore from boats. When out for tar from split oil.
This a good opportunity to remind your child about the necessity for taking rubbish home and disposing of it carefully, in order to avoid this kind of pollution. Emphasize the dangers of plastic, glass and oil to humans, birds and sea life.

Pebbles & Driftwood

On most beaches, you will find a selection of pebbles. Notice how many of these have been rounded and made very smooth by the effect of the sea rolling them around. Point out how dull most pebbles look when they are dry and how beautiful when wet. You will often find driftwood on the beach. Notice how this has also been made very smooth by the action of the waves and is sometimes molded into the most beautiful shapes. Do these shapes remind your child of anything in particular?
Ask your child to describe some dry pebbles on the beach. What color are they and are they shiny or dull? Ask him to put the pebbles in a bucket full of water. What do they look like when he takes them out of the water? What has caused them to look so different? Can you child think of other things which look very different when they are wet or dry? (Roof tiles, paving stones, kitchen floors).

Patterns in the sand

As you walk along a sandy shore at low tide, notice the ridges in the sand. Ask your child if he can tell you what has caused these. Discuss the effect of the waves on the sand as they roll in and out. Look out for sand pitted by recent rain storms and swirly patterns made by shells being spun round in the waves. Can your child tell you who or what has made various footprints in the sand (humans, dog and birds)? Point out sand that has been blown by the wind into huge sand dunes or tiny peaks. Show your child the coarse grass that often grows on dunes and the stones that often appear at the top of tiny peaks.

Waves and spume

On windy days, on exposed beaches, you will be able to see huge waves out to sea and breaking on the shore. Point out the undersides of the waves as they break. They will often look quite yellow as they pick up the sand on sandy shores. Notice how quickly the breaking waves come in, ending with a frothy cream that up the shore.

When you are exploring beaches at low tide, remind children how important it is to keep an eye on the tide coming in. where beaches are flat, it can approach faster than an adult can walk, making these beaches potentially dangerous. When you are watching the waves, remember to do this from a safe distance so that there is no danger of your child being caught in the undertow, as the water recedes.

Color

At first, young children tend to think in terms of simple colors – blue, green etc. – without distinguishing between different shades and hues. Most will be able to identify different colors but will not readily think beyond that. They need encouragement and practice to be able to distinguish and appreciate different shades.

Provide children with a small pot of white and black poster paint, two pots of paint in a primary color of your choice, three small paintbrushes – one for each color – several sheets of paper, a mixing palette shades of color by challenging then to make as many different shades as they can by adding progressively, white paint and black paint. Start by painting a patch of pure color on the paper, mix carefully and paint another patch on the paper. Continue to mix in white paint in this way and paint patches until the original color has become very pale. Now start with a fresh pot of pure color and paint patches for additions of black paint. At the end of the activity, you should have a complete range of color from very pale to very dark. Promote further understanding by asking them questions to use this new-found knowledge. For example: How many different greens can they see in the garden? Is the sky the same bright blue as it was yesterday?