How the Wind Plays

Book Spotlight: How the Wind Plays

Welcome to the STEMHAX Book Spotlight. Today, we explore How the Wind Plays written by Michael Lipson. This is a wonderful introductory book for children to explore science. It was published in 1994, I was lucky enough to find this copy in a second hand bookstore. The book introduces children to some imaginative ways of how the wind moves.

Kids enjoy reading the same book over and over again. A physical copy of the book is highly recommended for the first reading of How the Wind Plays.

HINT: After you have introduced and explored this book, kids can utilize the YouTube read aloud in a listening center or quiet activity when they have finished their work.

Overview

The main character in this book is a transparent figure of what looks like a playful child – this is actually the wind. The wind is shared with several different scenarios, in which a child can relate to the wind. Some examples are the wind blowing clothes, leaves, sand dunes and sailboats.

How the Wind Plays – Read Aloud

Exploring How the Wind Plays with Young Learners

First, start with a book cover inspection. Show children the cover of the book, and ask, “what do you think this book is about?” Follow this with some open ended questions to get their minds warmed up.

• What are some things the wind can do?
• Can you see wind?
• What do you know about wind?
• What was it like when you were in the wind?

After reading the book for the first time, ask more open-ended questions. Remember there are no wrong answers. Some questions might include:

• What parts of the story could be real?
• What parts of the story are pretend?
• What are some of the games the wind was playing?
• What is a “huge gale?” (show illustration)
• Why does the author say the wind plays games?

Vocabulary

We have a book companion packet that works perfectly with this book. CLICK ===>HERE to explore a preview in my TPT Store. It will coordinate with any wind theme or book.

• skim – to move quickly over a surface.
• gale – a very strong wind.
• mischievous – showing a fondness for causing trouble in a fun way.

About the Author

Michael Lipson, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist. He was inspired to write this book while on vacation off the coast of Maine. His collaboration with friend Daniel Kirk made for an excellent pairing for this book.

Fun Fact

Did you know that one of the windiest places on earth is Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It held the record for 62 years for the highest recorded wind speed, at 231 miles per hour. You can read more on the Mount Washington website. In modern history there have been other recordings of higher wind speeds, but those were from tornadoes and cyclones. Here is a cool video from CNET as they explore the Mt. Washington summit (This is more of a teach the teacher video).

Extend the Lesson

Check out this short little video from the Sesame Street Studios. This is a perfect video to share with your students, especially if you are going to engage in the hands-on portion of making a simple sailboat.

HINT: Watch all videos before sharing with young children.

Hands-On Exploration

Make an apple sailboat. To teach children how “…wind can skim sailboats across…” water, check out this very simple experiment.

Supplies

• Apple
• Wooden skewer
• Cut pieces of triangle construction paper
• Tray of water

Watch this video for how to conduct this experiment with your students. The young lady in this video from the “Make Build and Grow” YouTube Channel, does a great job!

Book Companion

This book companion is available in my TPT Store. It includes Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, History, Art and Xtra wind printables. CLICK===>HERE for a preview of what is included.

Free Read Aloud Book Report (Easy)

Use this free book report to have consistency with your listening center. It is generic and can be utilized with any book. 

Thank You

We appreciate you taking the time to learn about this fabulous read aloud book How the Wind Plays. Please consider following our YouTube Channel for more read aloud books relating to academic interest subjects.

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