• Students learn that living things have basic needs, including food and water.
The picture book empowers children to be mindful about how they use classroom resources and encourages self-reflection.
Discover hands-on spring activities for Australian classrooms that promote early learning through engaging outdoor experiences for young students.
The narrative encourages students to take only what is needed (ACPPS006, ACPPS022 – Foundation to Year 2 Health and Physical Education), reinforcing fairness in sharing resources like classroom materials. It also explores the negative consequences of overuse by addressing the basic needs of animals—food, water, and shelter (ACSSU002 – Foundation Year Science) —demonstrating how overuse impacts wildlife and habitats. Highlighting environmental changes caused by resource depletion (ACSSU019 – Year 1 Science), fostering the awareness of sustainability. With its rich themes of sharing and environmental stewardship, this story inspires young learners to adopt mindful, responsible habits in their daily lives.
Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein is a beautifully written and atmospheric story that captures the anticipation of rainfall in a remote Australian Indigenous community. Throughout the week, the land remains dry, and the people wait patiently for the relief that the rain will bring. The book helps students explore observable weather changes and how they impact the environment and daily life (ACSSU004 – Foundation Year; AC9S1U02 – Year 1, Science). It also help kids compare and recognise the extensive knowledges of daily and seasonal changes in weather patterns and landscape held by First Nations Australians.
The timely, predictable text encourages children to recognise and describe the sequence of the days of the week, supporting their understanding of time (ACMMG007, AC9MFM02 – Foundation Year, Mathematics). With its rich language and evocative illustrations, Big Rain Coming fosters curiosity about weather patterns and seasonal changes while promoting discussions about patience, resilience, and connection to the land.
The book explores weather patterns and the daily changes in the environment during a rainy day. As the characters observe the sky darkening, raindrops falling, and puddles forming, students are encouraged to describe daily changes in the environment and explore how these changes affect everyday life (ACSSU004 – Foundation Year; AC9S1U02 – Year 1, Science).
Teachers can explore these suggested learning points with children: investigating how changes in the weather affect plants and animals, including humans; exploring how people make clothing choices using predictions of weather; and investigating how rain or clouds are formed.
With engaging language and vivid imagery, The Rainy Day supports early scientific thinking by prompting discussions about the water cycle, seasonal changes, and the role of rain in nature. This book is an excellent resource for developing curiosity and appreciation for the natural world.
Little Cloud by Eric Carle is a beautifully illustrated story that follows a small cloud as it drifts across the sky, changing into different shapes before joining other clouds to bring rain. The book encourages young readers to observe and explore daily changes in weather patterns through clouds and understand clouds are part of the water cycle (ACSSU004 – Foundation Year, Science; AC9S1U02 – Year 1, Science).
Through Carle’s signature collage-style illustrations and simple yet engaging text, Little Cloud inspires children to use their imagination while learning about the natural world. The book also provides opportunities for discussions about how clouds form, change, and contribute to the environment, making it a wonderful resource for early science learning.
• We are learning to observe how clouds change shape and move in the sky.
• We are learning how rainy weather affects plants, animals, and people.
• We are learning about the importance of rain for people, animals, and the environment in the outback of Australia.
Explore three captivating children’s books with hands-on activities that introduce young learners to the wonders of weather and its impact on the world around them. These beautifully illustrated stories bring rainy days, clouds, and seasonal changes to life.
I See a Kookaburra! by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page is an engaging exploration of animal habitats around the world. Through detailed illustrations and informative text, children are invited to observe and identify different animals in their natural environments, from the Australian bush to the desert and jungle around the world.
This book supports young learners in recognising that living things have different external features and needs that help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). It also encourages children to explore how different places provide the resources animals need to live and grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science).
With its interactive “seek-and-find” style and rich factual content, I See a Kookaburra! fosters curiosity and a deeper understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems.
Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin and John Archambault is a rhythmic and engaging picture book that celebrates the different parts of the human body and their functions. Through simple, repetitive text and vibrant illustrations, young readers are encouraged to recognise their own external features and explore their purposes, such as hands for clapping, feet for running, and eyes for seeing (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science).
This book fosters body awareness, supports early language development, and provides opportunities for interactive learning, making it a wonderful resource for exploring how our bodies help us engage with the world around us.
Plants Can’t Sit Still is a fascinating and poetic exploration of the many ways plants move, grow, and respond to their environment. Through engaging text and vivid illustrations, the book challenges the common perception that plants are motionless, showcasing how they creep, climb, curl, and reach toward the sun. It helps young readers observe and understand the external features of plants and how they help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). The book also supports learning about how plants, like other living things, have basic needs, such as water, sunshine, and room to grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science). With its dynamic storytelling and rich scientific concepts, Plants Can’t Sit Still encourages curiosity about the natural world and inspires children to observe plants in action.
• Students will identify different external body parts and their functions.
• We are learning to identify and describe the external features of Australian bush animals.
• We are learning to name and identify the external features of a carrot plant.
• We are learning that we eat different parts of plants.
Looking for engaging science activities for young children? This collection offers resources for exploring the human body, animal habitats, and the amazing lives of plants.
• I am learning different habitats found in Australia.