Learning Winter Weather from Freddy the Frogcaster - Reading List

Learning Winter Weather from Freddy the Frogcaster

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Children's Corner

Learning Winter Weather from Freddy the Frogcaster

This has been a winter that even my son knows is not usual.  We have not had as much snow as we usually do, however, we have family and friends who have gotten more snow than they usually get as it came in strong storms.

And now it feels like spring, late spring at that.  

This has resulted in more conversations about the weather.  Some of the questions I've fielded this winter include; why do the seasons change, why does it have to be cold for snow to appear, how do the weather forecasters know what the weather will be?  Have you had similar conversations with your kids?

While earth science and weather are actually a part of science that I am fascinated with, always trying to learn more, I still searched out some books to help answer these questions. 

Freddy the Frogcaster and the Big Blizzard by Janice Dean  a Children's Corner feature on Reading List

We have been enjoying Freddy the Frogcaster - specifically the Big Blizzard - in our search for more weather knowledge.

About the Book

Freddy the Frogcaster and the Big Blizzard** is a great book that really takes kids on an adventure as Freddy helps his friends and community prepare for a major blizzard.  The story opens as Freddy and his classmates take a field trip to the local news station, the Frog New Network.  You see, Freddy, while still being a young frog is a weather expert - and that is what makes this story so interesting to little minds.  Freddy takes on an active role in helping to teach the class all about winter weather.

Once Freddy realizes there is a huge blizzard coming, he jumps into motion.  He puts together a weather emergency kit so that he will be prepared no matter what the storms brings.

Why We Like It

My kids really love the illustrations in this book.  The art is bright and fills each page as Freddy and his friends prepare for the storm.  There are many details that attract my kids and we have to leave time on each page to talk about many of them.

Not only is the lesson of being prepared for different weather emergencies a plus for me, but this book is filled with solid science about the weather.  Even just the story will add concepts and facts about winter weather to your children's brains.  But, after the story is over, there are a few great pages that spell out different facts that will further your science lesson.  Freddy discusses how air masses move and create fronts which result in different weather systems - include major storms.  He then goes into detail about the different forms of winter weather, like frost, sleet and freezing rain. The best part?  This more focused learning section is still written like Freddy is talking to you, which means it reads like the rest of the book.  The result?  My kids keep listening!

And if winter weather isn't something you are going to spend time on right away, there are more Freddy the Frogcaster books out there, including hurricanes and tornados... perfect for spring and summer!

Title: Freddy the Frogcaster and the Big Blizzard
Author: Janice Dean
Illustrator: Russ Cox
Publisher: Regnery Kids
Publication Date: September 2014
For ages: 4-8 - a second-grade level reader
Type: science, weather, non-fiction kids


Freddy the Frogcaster teaches kids about the weather in a fun way! @JaniceDean #WeatherMachine @Reading_List1

Looking for some more fun weather related activities or crafts? 

  1. Put together an awesome sensory box for your weather lessons and get inspired from Fun a Day.
  2. Play this fun board game all about the weather; Playdough to Plato has it for free!
  3.  Use this idea to help your children visual the weather currents that lead to storms from Learn, Play Imagine. 
  4. Pre-K pages shares three great ways to make art projects while learning about weather. 
  5. If you are still wanting some more ideas, check out Crafts on Sea, she has put together a list of 10 different crafts/activities that will be perfect for any weather-related lesson you have. 

Do your kids ask questions about the weather?  Do you discuss weather patterns or season changes? 

Marissa on Reading List



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