Exploring seasonal changes

Changes to the weather, temperature, plants and wildlife throughout the year enable a huge range of learning opportunities. Teachers at Floreat Montague Park school share how they create activities tied to seasonal changes which support the curriculum as well as help children to observe the world around them.

One idea is to create a seasonal calendar of activities which you can build on throughout the year. If you use this to make observations over time, for example taking photos of the same area each month and recording when certain flora first appear, it highlights the importance of data collection and identifying changes such as plants flowering earlier than expected.

An understanding of weather and seasons is vital before you can start discussing climate change with children as changes in the day-to-day weather throughout the year are perfectly normal. For older children, you may want to build on this understanding and introduce climate change. To provide you with background and resources on this complex topic, take a look at the next two Steps. You’ll find a brief summary and recommended links from our Department of Meteorology on where to find reliable information to improve your own understanding and for your teaching. In a later article, you’ll find more ideas for learning about climate and biodiversity outside.

Are there any climate and sustainability activities which lend themselves to particular points in the year in your country? Share your thoughts in the discussion below.