The Puddle Pail: Activities
Beyond the Book
Beyond the Book: Imaging Things in the Clouds
Children use their imaginations to explore clouds in the sky
Beginning
Get set to look at clouds
After reading the book make a plan with your child to explore
clouds. The first thing you will need to do is find some pictures
of clouds online or in a book or magazine. Then make a plan to
go outside or find a window to look at the clouds, and use your
imaginations to see different shapes in them.
Have a quick look back at the book by reviewing a few pages
where Ernst is looking at the clouds and thinking of how the
shapes remind him of different things. Point to and comment
on one of the animals in the clouds and tell your child what
you see. Ask your child what they see and acknowledge and
comment on their ideas.
MATERIALS
The Puddle Pail
Pictures of clouds (2-3)
Blanket, digital camera
(if you go outside)
Paper, markers, glue,
and cotton balls.
Talk about how different your ideas are about what a cloud looks like and that it is okay
to look at something and see it in a different way than someone else.
Share the pictures of clouds you have collected. Ask your child to tell you what they
see in the pictures.
Get ready to go outside or find a window to look at the clouds in the sky.
Middle
Looking at clouds
Once outside, or looking out the window, invite your child to name the shapes they see.
If you are outside and weather permits, you may want to lie down on a blanket and
look up at the clouds.
Watch and see if the clouds move and how their shapes change. Ask your child
what they imagine the clouds are shaped like.
Explain that when we imagine it means we think of or make a picture in our mind.
Joining forces to raise awareness about America’s achievement gap, including math and language literacy
Presented by:
Notice how the clouds are near to one another or far from each other and how much space they take
up in the sky.
If you have a digital camera, take pictures of the clouds.
End
What I liked best
If you took pictures, look at them together and have a conversation with your child
about which clouds they liked best and why.
If you didn’t take pictures, have the same conversation.
Invite your child to draw a picture of the clouds they liked best.
Write your child’s ideas on a piece of paper and read them back. Talk about the next time
you will watch clouds together.
Beyond the Book: Making Clouds
After your adventure looking at the clouds and imaging different shapes and objects, invite your child
to make some clouds. This will provide another chance for your child to use their imagination and
to notice and describe clouds. Here are a few steps to follow:
Start by talking about the story book or the experience you shared looking at clouds.
“I remember when Ernst was looking up in the sky and saw lots of shapes in the clouds. He had
to think of something else to collect because he couldn’t collect clouds. What were some of the
shapes you saw in the clouds when we looked at them together outside?” Give them time to think
before you ask another question.
Tell your child that you have some things they can use to make their own clouds.
Give them the blue construction paper, cotton balls, and glue.
Watch and comment on what they are doing. “Those clouds look puffy. What do they remind you of?”
Build your child’s knowledge of math concepts by talking about the quantity of cotton balls they
use, the different shapes the clouds created, and how they change when they use different
amounts of cotton balls.
If you took pictures with a digital camera, look at them and ask your child to recall the different
clouds in the pictures and how they are the same or different from the ones they are creating.
Offer to write your child’s words and read them aloud.
Joining forces to raise awareness about America’s achievement gap, including math and language literacy
Presented by: