HERRIN (WSIL) -- Our Storm Track 3 meteorologists took a trip to Herrin to teach over 400 kindergartners and first graders about the weather.
Kindergartners at North Side Primary Care in Herrin begin their mornings with a weather song.
"Our student of the week goes, and we sing the weather. We do our days of the week, we check the weather forecast, they get to go to the window and get to choose, and then we graph at the end of the week, how many cloudy days we've had, how many sunny days we've had, " explains teacher Cayenne Haseker.
Haseker says that tracking the weather not only helps the students become more familiar with what's going on outside, but also teaches them life skills.
"I think it helps teach them some responsibility and teach them some leadership skills."
Students are also learning where that weather comes from.
"We studied snowflakes, and so they got to see like how snowflakes form. They watched a video, they got to like create their own snowflakes," says first grade teacher Michelle Johnson.
Even if they weren't real snowflakes, the students got to make some of their own.
"We had a bag and a paper of a snowflake was inside. Then we used glue to trace it, then we let it dry, and then peeled it off. Then we could stick it on our windows." shares first grade student Karli.
When they're not singing or creating, students can be found with a book in their hand.
"Most of reading stories incorporate some kind of science theme and then each of the classrooms kind of do their own thing," says Johnson.
"We incorporate some science along with the reading. Our story for next week is going to be talking about the different seasons, so we will talk about the fall, winter, spring, summer. We'll talk about what the trees do. And then some of our other units that we use, we incorporate other science activities or projects that the kids can get a hands on learning experience," explains Haseker.
The WSIL Weather Academy will continue to reach as many students as possible through the end of the school year. Next week, they will take us to Pinckneyville.
