23 Weather Activities in the Garden

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Weather activities in the garden encourage curiosity, observation, and problem-solving. Best of all, they’re simple, affordable, and use what you already have outside in the garden.

Text on image reads: "23 Weather Activities in the Garden—Get Ideas Here," with a sky and clouds above, plus a rain gauge illustrating fun weather activities in the garden below.

Weather is one of the easiest science concepts for preschoolers to observe and understand because it’s happening all around them every day. Combine weather learning with time in the garden, and you have a recipe for exciting, hands-on lessons that help children connect science, food, and the world around them.

Why Teach Weather in the Garden?

The garden is a living classroom. Children can see how the weather directly affects plants, soil, insects, and their own play. By noticing how sunshine, rain, wind, and temperature change the garden, kids develop a deeper connection to nature and learn important science skills.

Benefits include:

Observation skills: Kids notice small changes in plants and weather patterns.
Real-world connections: They see how weather impacts plant growth and garden health.
Hands-on science: Weather concepts become tangible through experiments and play.
Responsibility: Kids learn to care for plants through changing conditions.

Sunshine Activities

Shadow Tracing

On a sunny day, bring out chalk and have children trace the shadows of plants, garden tools, or even themselves. Return later in the day to trace again and notice how the shadows moved. This builds an early understanding of how the sun changes position.

Leaf Warmth Test

Let children touch the soil and leaves in sunny and shady spots. Ask which feels warmer and why. This shows how sunlight impacts temperature in the garden.

Sunflower Tracking

If you grow sunflowers, have kids notice how they “follow” the sun across the sky. Take photos in the morning and afternoon to compare.

Rainy Day Activities

Rain Gauge

Make a simple rain gauge by marking measurement lines on a clear jar. Leave it outside and check after rainstorms. Record the amounts on a chart with the kids.

Another great watering tool for the garden is to use a clean, empty tuna fish can to water your garden an inch a week. We leave tuna cans around the garden, and when we are watering, to get an inch of water on the garden per week, we water until the tuna cans are full. Great science activity with the kids.

Water Absorption

Give kids containers of dry soil, sand, and mulch. Pour rainwater into each and watch how fast it absorbs. Compare which materials hold water best, connecting to how different soils affect gardens.

Puddle Play Science

After rain, explore puddles together. Drop leaves or sticks in and watch them float. Notice how ripples move when they toss a pebble.

Windy Day Activities

Windsocks and Pinwheels

Make windsocks with fabric scraps or paper streamers and hang them in the garden. Add pinwheels for children to observe. Compare which direction they blow and how strong the wind feels.

Seed Scattering

Show children how some seeds (like dandelions or maple “helicopters”) travel on the wind. Drop them and see how far they go, then compare them to heavier seeds like beans. If you don’t have a windy day, you could bring a fan outside and show them with that.

Wind Strength Testing

Place lightweight items like feathers or leaves next to heavier ones like pebbles. Ask children to guess which will blow away first, then test on a windy day.

Cloud and Sky Activities

Cloud Watching

Lie on a blanket in the garden and look for shapes in the clouds. Talk about fluffy cumulus clouds versus thin, wispy cirrus clouds in preschool-friendly terms.

Weather Journal

Give children a simple daily chart with sun, cloud, rain, or wind symbols. Let them mark what they see each day in the garden. Over time, they notice patterns.

Sky Colors

Observe sunrise, midday, and sunset. Have kids notice how the sky changes color and how it makes the garden look different.

A wooden thermometer shows about 23°C or 73°F near a blooming tree branch with white flowers, under a clear blue sky—perfect conditions for weather activities in the garden.

Temperature Activities

Thermometer Tracking

Place a garden thermometer outside and check it at different times of the day. Compare morning vs. afternoon temperatures. Let children draw “hot” or “cold” faces to record.

Hot and Cold Watering Cans

Fill one watering can with warm water and one with cold. Let kids feel the difference, then water garden plants and see if they notice changes in the soil or smell.

Dressing for the Weather

Keep a basket of scarves, hats, and mittens for cold days, and sunhats for hot ones. Let kids dress up according to the day’s temperature before garden time.

Seasonal Weather Activities

Spring Showers and Growth

Plant seeds in spring and talk about how rain helps them grow. Let kids water plants on dry days to “help the rain.”

Summer Sunshine and Shade

Show how some plants wilt in the summer heat while others thrive. Encourage kids to water more often in hot weather.

Red and brown autumn leaves are blowing in the air above a city street in the sunlight, evoking memories of weather activities in the garden, with buildings and trees blurred in the background.

Fall Leaves and Wind

Collect colorful leaves from the garden. Toss them into the air on windy days to watch them swirl. If you have maple trees, this is also really fun with the helicopter seeds when it puts them out.

Winter Observation

Even if your garden rests in winter, children can notice frost on soil, icicles forming, or snow covering garden beds. Compare how the garden looks across seasons.

Weather Experiments in the Garden

Evaporation Test: Place two plates of water—one in the sun, one in the shade. Check later to see which evaporated faster.
Mini Greenhouse: Cover a plant with a clear plastic container and watch how condensation forms inside.
Soil Drying: After rain, compare how quickly the soil dries in raised beds versus the ground.
Wind Erosion: Blow gently on dry soil with a straw to see how wind can move it.

Connecting Weather to Garden Care

Weather isn’t just something kids notice—it’s essential for gardening. Use outdoor time to connect the weather to plant needs:

Sunny Days: Plants soak up energy. Kids can water early or late to help.
Rainy Days: Rain does the watering, but kids can check the soil to see how wet it is.
Windy Days: Stems might bend. Show kids how stakes or cages help protect plants.
Cold Days: Some plants stop growing. Covering them or moving pots indoors can help.

These connections teach responsibility and show how humans work with nature to grow food.

Tips for Success

Keep it simple. Preschoolers don’t need complicated terms—focus on what they see and feel.
Encourage questions. Let children wonder aloud and guide activities with their curiosity.
Use visuals. Charts, symbols, and pictures help make abstract concepts clear.
Be consistent. Daily or weekly weather checks build observation skills over time.
Celebrate process, not product. It’s about noticing and exploring, not about perfect outcomes.

Weather activities in the garden turn everyday science into exciting discoveries. Children get to touch, see, and feel the elements while connecting them directly to plant life. From measuring rainfall to watching shadows move, these simple experiences spark curiosity and deepen kids’ relationship with the natural world.

By combining gardening with weather learning, you give preschoolers more than science knowledge—you help them build observation skills, responsibility, and wonder that will last a lifetime.

So grab a rain gauge, a windsock, or just your own eyes and ears. The garden is waiting to teach children all about weather—one sunny, rainy, windy, or snowy day at a time.

Garden Guide for Kids

If you want to learn how to get started gardening with kids, check out our ebook on teachers pay teachers Gardening Guide for Kids: Growing with Little Sprouts (Ages 1–4) 48-Page eBook. Gardening 101 materials, tips for gardening with really young kids and more!

Garden Activities for Kids

For more garden activities for kids, check these out:

Crooksie and Churro Learn to Count

For a really sweet and fun story about two garden cats named Crooksie and Churro, check out our new book on Amazon, “Crooksie and Churro Learn to Count“. It’s a counting book that talks about emotions and helps kids learn that it’s okay to feel them all.

Beautiful illustrations engage kids as you explore different places in the garden. And there’s even an easter egg in the book, so they can practice their I Spy skills. See if you can figure out what it is! Grab your copy today and come on a garden adventure with us.