I hear thunder
I hear thunder
Hark! don't you?
Hark! don't you?
Pitter-patter raindrops
Pitter-patter raindrops
I'm soaked through
So are you!
Some children are afraid of loud noises, and thunder in particular, so this rhyme offers a great opportunity to explore that fear and find ways to deal with it. In fact, chanting the rhyme, very loudly, on wet and potentially stormy days can even make thunder 'fun' rather than scary.
Rhyme time
Introduce the rhyme to the children and encourage them to join in.
Encourage them to observe the actions that accompany the words and try them out themselves.
* Start with one hand cupped around one ear 'listening' and then change hands and ears as the words change to 'hark! don't you?'
* As the rains begins, wiggle fingers on both hands and move them from high in the air to the floor.
* On 'I'm soaked through', point an index finger to yourself and on 'so are you!', point to the children.
Chant the rhyme again, with the children joining in all the actions. As they become more familiar with the rhyme, try varying the volume, whispering or chanting very loudly, or the speed, getting faster and faster.
Extension ideas
Use the rhyme as a starting point for an exploration of sounds. Ty listening to real rain battering a tin tray or metal dustbin lid, and the noise a rain stick makes. Then try to replicate the sound with shakers and other percussion instruments.
Make rain sticks with empty snack tins full of rice, sand, dry beans, peas and pulses. When there is a storm, bring out the shakers and encourage all the children to join in loudly with the rhyme.
