Weather wear
You’ll need
- Fancy dress items
- Different items of clothing
Before you begin
- Bring as many old clothes as you can to the session. Ask everyone to bring some of their old clothes along too – it’s best if they have people’s names in.
- Write the words sun, rain, wind and snow on large pieces of paper, and stick them in each corner of the room. You might also want to print or draw a picture to go with each weather word.
Story time
- Everyone should sit in a circle.
- Someone should read A Trip to the Beach by Jess Connett.
- After reading the story, everyone should take some time to reflect on it as a group. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.
Mama and baba told Wei they were going to take him to the beach at the weekend, and he could choose three friends to bring along.
‘When you invite your friends,’ said mama, ‘tell them they should bring everything they need for the whole day, because we’re going on the train, and we’ll be home late.’
The next day, Wei saw his friend Bo playing in the sandpit.
‘Would you like to come to the beach, Bo?’ asked Wei. ‘You’ll have to bring everything you need for the whole day.’
‘Yes, I’d really like to come,’ said Bo. ‘Thanks for inviting me! The last time I went to the beach it was very windy. I’m going to bring my kite and wear a thick coat. That way I won’t feel how cold the wind is.’
Wei left the sandpit and went to the art area, where Whinnie was making a sculpture.
‘Would you like to come to the beach, Whinnie?’ asked Wei. ‘You’ll have to bring everything you need for the whole day.’
‘Oh, yes please!’ said Whinnie. ‘That sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting me. The last time I went to the beach it was very cold. It even snowed! I’m going to bring a hat and gloves so I can play in the snow.’
Wei went looking for Dillip. He found him on the field, practising handstands.
‘Would you like to come to the beach, Dillip?’ asked Wei. ‘You’ll have to bring everything you need for the whole day.’
‘Definitely!’ said Dillip. ‘Thank you for inviting me. The beach is very hot. I’m going to bring my swimming shorts and a towel so I can cool down in the sea.’
When Wei woke up on Saturday morning, it was pouring with rain. ‘Never mind,’ said baba. ‘We’ll take umbrellas and waterproof coats so we don’t get wet.’
When they arrived at the train station, Dillip was shivering.
‘You’re only wearing shorts and a T-shirt!’ said mama. ‘Luckily, we have a spare coat.’
Whinnie was much too hot in her woolly hat. ‘I thought it was going to be cold!’ she said.
Bo was disappointed. ‘I can’t fly my kite when it’s raining. There’s no wind at all today.’
Baba showed them the weather forecast. It told them how the weather would be today and tomorrow.
‘The rain will stop in an hour,’ baba said. ‘The sun will come out and it’ll get hot. Then we might wish we had all worn shorts like Dillip!’
By Jess Connett
Four corners
- Everyone should stand in the middle of the room.
- The person leading the game should hold up a piece of clothing.
- Everyone should run to the weather that matches that piece of clothing.
- The last person to get to one of the correct signs is out – they should sit on the floor near the edge of the space.
- The last remaining runner is the winner.
Super stylish
- Everyone should sit in small groups.
- Each group should choose two people to be the models.
- Each group should dress one model in what they think someone should wear in summer. They should dress the other model in what they think someone should wear in winter.
- The person leading the activity should let everyone know when time is up.
- The models should stand still, while everyone else moves around the space to look at everyone’s outfit choices.
- Everyone should sit in a circle. They should chat about what people should and shouldn’t wear in different seasons.
Reflection
This activity introduced everyone to the importance of dressing appropriately for different types of weather – and the disadvantages of not doing so. The activity encouraged everyone to work as a team, with some competition to engage people.
You can chat about these optional reflection points throughout the session or at the end.
Story time
- What’s everyone’s favourite item of clothing? Why?
- What are the four seasons? Why do people wear different clothes in each season?
Four corners
- How are safety and clothes linked?
- What could happen if someone didn’t wear the right clothes in certain weather?
Super stylish
- Do people feel differently when they look at themselves in summer or winter outfits?
- How are people’s outfit choices linked to looking after themselves?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
- It’s up to you whether people are out when you play Four corners. You could just congratulate the fastest people and play until everyone’s had enough.
- You could be more specific about the weather during Super stylish. How would someone dress for a rainy, warm summer day?
- You could suddenly change the weather conditions halfway through Super stylish, so groups have to change their outfits really quickly.
- You could play Super stylish more than once, so everyone has a turn at being a model.
- If you can, use pictures as well as words so that everyone can tell the four corners apart.
- Some people might not want to wear certain clothes, for example, if they feel uncomfortable or don’t belong to them. It’s OK if people don’t want to be a model. They could lay the clothes out on the floor instead.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Everyone could go home and dress up a toy for a weather condition of their choice. They could take a photograph or draw a picture of the toy and share it with the group in another session.
This activity encourages everyone to work as a team and take the lead to show others the way. If you can, give everyone the opportunity to dress a model.