Seasonal household items (optional): woolly hat, flower, leaf, swimsuit β OR draw picture cards together
Season Sort cards and sorting mat (last pages of this lesson)
Scissors and glue stick
π¬ Let's Get Started
Step 1 β Season Warm-Up (5 min)
Ask: "What season is it right now? How do you know?"
Let them look outside. Point to clues: what are the trees doing? What are people wearing? How warm or cold is it?
Step 2 β Make the Season Cards (5 min)
Write or draw one card each for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Add 3β4 key features to each card (use the season descriptions above as a guide). Color them to match the season's feeling β warm yellows for summer, cool blues for winter!
Step 3 β The Great Seasons Sort (10β15 min)
Gather seasonal household items OR use the picture cards from the next page. Sort each item to the correct season:
𧀠Woolly hat, mittens, scarf β Winter
πΈ Flowers, seeds, umbrella for rain β Spring
π Fallen leaves, acorns, cozy sweater β Fall
π Swimsuit, sunscreen, ice pop β Summer
If they're unsure, talk it through: "When do we use this? Is it warm or cold outside then?"
Step 4 β Favorite Season Drawing (5β10 min)
Each child draws their favorite season β include the weather, what they'd wear, what plants look like, and one thing they love to do in that season. Share with the family!
π¬ Discussion Questions
π£οΈ Talk about these together:
What is your favorite season? Why?
How do animals behave differently in each season?
What happens to trees over the four seasons?
Big Question: Why do we have seasons? Is it because Earth gets closer to the sun in summer?
π‘ Suggested answer: Common misconception! Seasons are caused by Earth's tilt (23.5Β°), not its distance from the sun. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, sunlight hits more directly and for longer β summer! When it tilts away β winter. Australia's seasons are the opposite of ours for exactly this reason β when we have winter, they have summer!
π Extensions
π Australia Flip: Look up what season it is right now in Australia. How is it different? This proves Earth's tilt, not distance, causes seasons!
π Season Circle: Draw a big circle. Divide it into 4 parts and fill in each season with drawings and weather. Put an arrow going around to show the cycle!
π² Tree Through Time: Draw the same tree in all 4 seasons β bare in winter, budding in spring, full in summer, colorful in fall.
π Read Aloud:Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak or Strawberries Are Red by Petr HorΓ‘Δek
Common misconception to address: Many adults even think seasons are caused by Earth's distance from the sun. They're caused by Earth's axial tilt (23.5Β°). You don't need to explain the physics deeply β just plant the seed: "It's not about how close Earth is to the sun β it's about how Earth is tilted!"
Local context matters: In Colorado Springs, seasons are very distinct. If you live somewhere with mild seasons (like Southern California or Florida), acknowledge that some places have more subtle seasonal changes.
The Australia connection: This is a mind-blowing fact for kids. "When our friends in Australia are sweating in summer in December, we're having Christmas in the snow!" It really reinforces that seasons aren't about sun distance.
Assessment: Can the child sequence the 4 seasons? Can they describe at least 2 characteristics of each? Can they sort seasonal items correctly?
πΈβοΈπβοΈ Season Sort β Student Worksheet
