Clothes and weather
The purpose of this section is for the children to appreciate the influence of weather on the clothes that we wear. The children will become aware of the different fabrics that characterise clothes for certain times of the year or certain weather conditions. The first picture shown is of winter and the children in it are wearing woolly coats and hats. Children are asked about their favourite weather. This section asks children to identify waterproof clothes. Extension tasks with teacher: Children might contrast clothes for rainy days which must be made from waterproof materials and clothes for sunny days when clothing made of cotton is more suitable due to the fact that cotton is light and comfortable to wear when it is hot. Children should discuss why wool is worn in winter. During science some investigating might be done which would help children to understand that wool has good insulating properties making it ideal for clothes in colder weather.
Activities:Two "dress the children" tasks are included where children have to choose clothing for wet and warm weather. Children also are show how to draw a Wellington boot using a grid.
Additional detail
Irish weather tends not to vary excessively from one season to the next so the variety of clothes worn is not as great as perhaps in other climates. For example, the average daily summer temperature is about 19 °C while the winter average is about 2.5 °C. (figures taken from the Met Éireann website - http://www.met.ie/climate/climate-of-ireland.asp) As a result of the "Gulf Stream", a current of warm water and air that flows from the Gulf of Mexico along the Ireland's western coastline, the country experiences neither extremely cold winters nor hot summers. Ireland does, however, experience a lot of rainfall all year round so umbrellas and rain-jackets are always a vital part of every Irish person's wardrobe.
Children should know that there are different seasons and should identify the likely weather conditions in each. Despite the lack of huge variation in temperature in the different seasons, Irish people still need to dress differently during different times of the year. Children should know that Autumn/Winter are typically chilly, windy, wet, icy and sometimes snowy. Spring and summer is usually warmer, and can be sunny, breezy and sometimes rainy.