Introductory technique

Read ‘The windy day’ by Anna Milbourne.

Or listen to Miss Chris read it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij1qXn_dDLQ

Climate change and sustainability

Often the simple ideas are the best and here is a great one to stimulate spontaneous experiential learning around an element of the changeability of the UK’s weather.

The study of wind can be tricky to plan for as going out on a still day doesn’t quite have the desired impact, however in the best-run classrooms preparation and planning is what makes the difference even if you can’t be entirely sure when the plans will be put in to action!

In preparation for windy conditions create a box for every EYFS classroom containing windmills, streamers, bubbles, wind chains, ribbons, ribbon wands, kites, wind chimes, balls, old sheets and NESW wind dials. Alongside each set of equipment add the age-appropriate vocabulary list, below.

Stimulate thinking through questions:

• What sounds can you hear?
• What happens to the ribbon in the wind?
• Why is your ribbon moving?
• Is it windy all over the world right now?
• What problems can strong winds cause?

In particular develop thinking around wind as an energy source:

• Is everywhere around school equally windy?
• Where is it windiest/least windy spot?
• What can wind be used for?
• Where might we place a wind turbine?
• Does the wind always come from the same direction? How can we check -monitor?

You could extend this to consider where is the best place to put a wind turbine in the school grounds i.e. which is the windiest spot.

Back to Climate change and sustainability menu

The Geographical Association (GA) has worked closely with the Field Studies Council (FSC) to develop these resources.