Typical weather conditions in spring might include rain, wind, clouds, and rainbows.
   ~ Spring storms can be seen from time to time.
   ~ The temperature is warming up some, and we might see a few hot days.
   ~ There are certain activities that people like to do in the spring - - fly kites, hike or walk, plant gardens and work in the yard.

Plants begin to sprout and grow, flowers begin to appear.

  Some animals are waking from their winter’s sleep.
   ~ Many animals have their babies in the spring.

Seeds begin to grow.
   ~ Seeds can be found in the fruits and flowers of plants.
   ~ Seeds vary in color, shape, and size.
   ~ Seeds need certain conditions to sprout (warmth and water).
   ~ Seeps sprout and grow into plants.

Plants have certain parts – roots, stems, leaves, and flowers – which have certain functions.

There are some common bugs and insects that might be found in our own backyards.
   ~ Some insects are very helpful to growing things.
   ~ Others are pests, and can be very destructive.
   ~ Bugs and insects have certain characteristics that make them unique.
   ~ Bugs and insects have certain needs and functions.

We can observe the life cycles of tadpoles to frogs and caterpillars to butterflies.

Splish, Splash, Spring ~ Jan Carr	It's Spring! ~ Linda Glaser	Spring Is Here ~ Lois Lenski	Spring Is Here Taro Gomi
A to Z of Spring Tracy Nelson Maurer	The Storm Book Charlotte Zolotow	What Will the Weather Be Like Today? Paul Rogers	Wind ~ Maron Dane Bauer

Rain:

Come On, Rain! ~ Karen Hesse	Rain ~ Robert Kalan	Listen to the Rain ~ Bill Martin Jr.	Rain Talk ~ Mary Serfozo
Who Likes Rain? ~ Wong Herbert Yee	Rain ~ Peter Spier	Why Does It Rain? ~ Wil Mara	Down Comes the Rain ~ Franklyn M. Branley

Rainbows:

What Makes a Rainbow? ~ Betty Ann Schwartz	What Are Rainbows Made Of? ~ Helen Orme	All the Colors of the Rainbow ~ Allan Fowler	The Rainbow and You ~ Edwin C. Krupp

Puddles

When the rain is coming down
In the puddles I splash around
The water's wet, but I am dry
I have my boots on, that is why!

Rain

When the rain is splashing down
On the fields and on the town
Singing winds begin to blow
And the flowers start to grow.

Umbrella

It rains on the duck, cow, and horse.
It rains on the trees and leaves, of course!
It rains on a little girl and fella.
But I'm not wet. I have an umbrella!

Storm

Thunder crashes.
Lightening flashes.
Rain makes puddles,
So I can make splashes.

Rain

Rain on the rooftops,
Rain on the trees.
Rain on the green grass,
But not on me!

Rain Ideas
from Alphabet Soup

Rain & Floods Unit
from Weather Whiz Kids - good site

Weather Unit

A little seed for me to sow
A little earth to make it grow
A little hole, a little pat,
A little wish, and that is that,
A little sun, a little shower.
A little while -
And then, a flower!

 My Plant

I dig a hole and plant a seed,
Cover it with dirt, and pull a weed.
Down comes the rain, and out comes the sun,
Up grows my plant,
Oh! What fun!

Gardening Theme Unit
from Perpetual Preschool - lots of ideas!

Plant Links
research & informational sites

The little honey bees go buzz-buzz-buzz,
Buzz-buzz-buzz,
Buzz-buzz-buzz.
The little honey bees go buzz-buzz-buzz,
All the day long.

The crickets in the grass go hop-hop-hop,
Hop-hop-hop,
Hop-hop-hop.
The crickets in the grass go hop-hop-hop,
All the day long.

The chubby caterpillars go munch-munch-munch, Munch-munch-munch,
Munch-munch-munch.
The chubby caterpillars go munch-munch-munch,
All the day long.

The little black spiders go creepy-creepy-crawly, Creepy-creepy-crawly,
Creepy-creepy-crawly.
The little black spiders go creepy-creepy-crawly,
All the day long.

Caterpillar Song
(tune of "Yankee Doodle Dandy")

 I started as a tiny egg
Upon a leaf of green
And now I stay upon the leaf
so I will not be seen
Soon I'll build a chrysalis
Upon a limb up high
I'll stay a while and then come out
and be a butterfly!

Ladybugs!

Ladybugs all dressed in red,
Strolling through the flower bed.
If I were tiny, just like you...
I'd creep among the flowers too!

I'm a Little Ladybug
(tune of “I'm a Little Teapot”)

I'm a little ladybug, as you can see.
I am a beetle, pretty as can be.
I am brightly colored, red and black.
Look at the pretty spots on my back!

Ants
(to the tune of "Oh My Darling") 

It's an insect not a spider
it has 6 legs instead of 8
3 on this side 3 on that side
and it's crawling on your plate.

Inchworm

Inchworm, inchworm
measuring the marigolds.
You and your arithmetic
You'll probably go far.

Inchworm, inchworm
Measuring the marigolds.
Seems to me you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are.

 The Spider

High spider, low spider,
Anywhere-you-go spider.
Big spider, small spider,
Never-ever-fall spider.
In spider, out spider,
Crawling-up-the-spout spider.
Black spider, brown spider,
Anywhere-in-town spider.

 Bees

Bees a-buzzin', Bees at play,
Bees a busy throughout the day.
Bees a--traveling, Bees in flight,
Bees a-workin', both day and night.

Hug a Bug

Hug a bug,
Hug a bug,
But don't EVER
hug a bee!
It might sting
your nose,
your hand,
or your knee.
 

St. Patrick’s Day Literature

St. Patrick's Day ~ Gail Gibbons	St. Patrick's Day Countdown ~ Salina Yoon	The Night Before St. Patrick's Day ~ Natasha Wing	It's St. Patrick's Day ~ Rebecca Gomez
Clever Tom and the Leprechaun: An Old Irish Story ~ Linda Shute	That's What Leprechauns Do ~ Eve Bunting	The Luckiest Leprechaun: A Tail-Wagging Tale of Friendship ~ Justine Korman	Leprechaun Gold ~ Teresa Bateman

Bug Fun
ideas & resources

Bug Art for Kids

Welcome to the Incredible World of Insects

Bug-Go Game
and insect line drawings

Butterfly Links Page

Insect Printouts & Crafts
from Enchanted Learning

Using Live Insects in the Classroom
background information, good site