Seasons can be fascinating, especially to our little ones. It is interesting to see how the Earth goes from lush green to pearly white, all in a matter of a dozen months! We have seasons like Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn and Winter. Some of these changes can be frightening too. When it rains, the clouds thunder, and sometimes there is lightning too; this can be scary for our little ones. The song I Hear Thunder is one of the popular English nursery rhymes used to teach children not to be afraid of the thunder and to see it as a normal event that accompanies rain.
I Hear Thunder Lyrics in English
The lyrics of the poem I Hear Thunder are:
I hear thunder!
I hear thunder!
Hark don’t you,
hark don’t you?
Pitter, patter raindrops,
Pitter patter raindrops,
I’m wet through
and so are you!
What Will Your Child Learn From I Hear Thunder
Your child can learn how thunder works and how one should not be afraid of it. When we are little, we do not fully understand the things that occur around us. When we don’t know what is happening around us, certain things like thunder can be very scary as it is very loud and comes unexpectedly. You can explain why thunder occurs to your child and help them understand that it is a normal and beautiful event in the sky.
You can also teach your child how clouds are formed, and thunder is produced. Thunder is caused by lightning. Lightning is essentially a stream of energy that passes between or within clouds. Thunder follows lightning because of the air’s rapid expansion surrounding a lightning bolt.
Theme Of I Hear Thunder
The theme of I Hear Thunder is simply the phenomenon of thunder. The poem is set to the tune of Frere Jacques and talks about a rainstorm. The narrator hears thunder and then urges the reader to listen closely and hear the same. He then tells the readers that he is wet, and so are the readers, which suggests that the narrator got wet in the rain.
The theme of the poem is the natural occurrences of the monsoon season, like rain and thunder. It tries to normalise the phenomenon of thunder, which can be very scary for little ones.
Rhyming Scheme/Pattern of I Hear Thunder
The rhyming scheme of I Hear Thunder is AABBCCBB. We see a pattern in the poem where the first six lines are actually three sentences repeated twice; one repetition following the other. However, the last two lines are entirely different.
Words that Your Child Will Learn from I Hear Thunder
Nouns: thunder, raindrops
Sound words: pitter-patter
Verbs: hear, hark,
Prepositions: Through
Adjectives: wet
Suggested Activity
- You can teach your child this poem and wait for a day when it is raining and thundering. This is the perfect moment to have your child recite the poem. It is fairly easy to learn, and your child should have no trouble reciting it. This will give him visuals of what they are singing and distract them from the scary thundering!
- You can teach your child the water cycle, i.e., how water vapour rises up and turns into clouds which then pour rain and so on. Once your child has a good grasp of the water cycle, you can have them make a chart depicting the water cycle. You can use cotton balls for clouds and paints to colour the rest. Ditch paintbrushes for once, and let your child get their hands dirty!
FAQs
1. How old should my child be for me to teach them about thundering?
You can teach your child about thundering, but they may be too young to understand the concept in depth. Instead, you can opt for simplifying the process for your child and letting them learn at their own pace. As they get older, you can keep revisiting the same topics.
2. How do we sing the song?
The poem is pretty easy to recite and is set to the popular song Frere Jacques.
