Spring is here! Instead of playing in the snow, we can now skateboard and ride our bikes. But have you ever wondered why we have different seasons like spring, summer, autumn, and winter?
The reason we have seasons is because the Earth is tilted. A long time ago, something big hit the Earth and knocked it over a little bit. So now, our planet is tilted as it travels around the sun.
Earth takes one full year to travel around the sun. As it moves, the amount of sunlight different parts of the Earth receive changes, which is why we have different seasons.
When the part of Earth you live on is tilted toward the sun, it’s summer. When it’s tilted away, it’s winter. In between, we have spring and autumn, which are a mix of warm and cool weather.
Not everyone experiences the same season at the same time. When it’s summer in one part of the world, it can be winter in another. This happens because different parts of the Earth get different amounts of sunlight.
For example, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, it’s summer there. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away, so it’s winter there.
The tilt of our planet explains why we have seasons and why they change. It also helps us understand why different places can have different seasons at the same time. Enjoy your season, whatever it may be!
Seasonal Sunlight Experiment: Create a simple experiment to understand how the tilt of the Earth affects sunlight. Use a flashlight to represent the sun and a globe or a ball to represent the Earth. Shine the flashlight on the ball at different angles to see how the light spreads. Notice how tilting the ball changes the amount of light on different parts of it. Discuss with your child how this relates to the seasons we experience.
Seasonal Observation Journal: Encourage your child to keep a journal for a week, noting the weather each day. Ask them to draw pictures of what they see outside, like trees, flowers, or snow. At the end of the week, discuss how the weather and nature change with the seasons. Ask questions like, “What season do you think it is now?” and “How do you know?”
Seasonal Clothing Sort: Gather different types of clothing items (or pictures of them) that are suitable for various seasons, such as a winter coat, a summer hat, or rain boots. Ask your child to sort these items into piles for each season. Discuss why certain clothes are worn in specific seasons and how they help us adapt to the weather.
