Turn and Learn About the Earth's Seasons!

Sure, most second graders know that the Earth is always in motion and that we have four seasons each year. But does she know how this happens? In this interactive activity, your second grader will see first-hand how the Earth moves and brings seasonal changes to our world.

What to Do:

Step 1
Begin by asking your child to name the four seasons. Then, ask the question: What makes these seasonal changes happen? You could get a variety of answers to this question. Some will be on track and some will not. Your child might simply not know, and that’s okay!

Step 2
Tell your child that seasonal changes have to do with the way the Earth moves. Ask you child what she already knows about the Earth’s movement. (Your child may tell you about how it rotates and revolves.)

Step 3
A good starting point would be to explore the Earth’s rotating movement. Tell your child that you will act as the sun. Have your child stand a few feet away from you and slowly spin. Each time your child spins away from you, say “It’s nighttime.” Each time your child spins towards you say “It’s daytime.”

Step 4
Have your child explain what happens when the Earth rotates.

Step 5
Now tell your child that you’re going to add another movement to the mix. Have your child slowly spin again. But this time, have her also slowly walk around you as they spin. Be careful! You don’t want to knock over any furniture or have your child stumble upon a sharp corner! As she slowly makes her way around you, ask her what happens when the Earth makes one full revolution (a year goes by).

Step 6
Have your child stop again and explain what happens when the Earth revolves.

Step 7
Once again tell your child that you’re going to add yet another movement! Start by having your child slowly spin. Next, have her once again walk around you slowly. As your child gets ¼ of the way around you, have her slowly lean a little towards you. When she begins leaning, say “Spring is here.” When she moves another ¼ of the way around, have her lean all the way in and say, “Now summer is here!” When she’s moved another ¼ of the way tell her to begin leaning slowly away from you. Say “Now it’s turning into fall!” Again, have her move ¼ of the way and lean all the way back and say, “And now we’ve moved into winter!”

Step 8
Tell your child that the leaning is replicating another motion, the Earth tilting on its axis. Have her repeat Step 7, and this time don’t tell her the season. Have her first start leaning towards you. Stop her and ask what season it is. Have her move around and lean all the way in. Again, stop and ask her what season it is. Do the same when she’s leaning away from you.

Step 9
Have your child explain in words what happens as the Earth tilts its axis towards and away from the sun. This might also be a good time to talk about summer having longer days than winter and why.

Step 10
You can have your child replicate this activity for a younger sibling, another parent or even a friend to see how much she has learned about the Earth’s movements.