There are four seasons in a year. They are winter, spring, summer, and fall. They occur at the same time each year.
In most places on Earth, each season of the year, fall, winter, spring, and summer, is characterized by unique weather conditions. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth's axis. As the earth orbits the sun, the earth's axis approximately points in the same direction. This causes each hemisphere to be tilted toward the sun during half of the earth's orbit and away from the sun during the other half.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Which season is your favorite and why?
2. What are some of the phrases or sayings you know that describe a season, such as: "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb."?
3. What other comparisons can you make to describe a season(s)?
4. Why is the season of spring called spring? How do you think the other seasons got their names?
5. How do animals deal with the different seasons and weather?

Math
1. Sort by color
2. Graph each color (most, least, less than, greater than, equal, unequal, more)
3. How big, how small?
4. Sort by Size
5. Graph by size (long, short, biggest, smallest)
6. Sort by Shape
7. Create a Venn Diagram using the different Attributes (Size, Shape, Color)

Science: Experiment: Frost
Objectives: Students will be able to list 3 changes that can occur in the weather.
Materials:
Tin can with lid removed, Crushed ice
Rock salt, Measuring cup
Anticipatory Set: Students will show the class a glass that is frosted and ask the class what is on it.
Procedure: Have students put two cups of crushed ice and and a half of a cup of rock salt in the can. Instruct the students to stir the mixture rapidly. Check the can in 30 minutes. The outside of the can will have dew on it. This dew will change to frost. On a very cold morning, go outside with students and investigate why everything is white (frost).
Questions: What did the dew change to? What causes frost to form on grass?
Evaluation: Teacher will have students verbally explain what is needed to make frost (damp air and freezing temperatures).

Rhyme with Body Movement
1. Let the children use their imagination to move and dance as they recite
the following poem.
 

Language Arts
1. l is for leaf
2. List all the words that students can think of describing the leaves.
3. Leaf and Leaves: Introduce the term plural.
4. A Student Book: We will discuss the leaves shapes, colors and sizes. Each student
will make a book using a pattern from the MAILBOX  OCT/NOV 1998.
 

Center: Fall
Materials: twigs, leaves, acorns, large sheet of construction paper & glue
The students will use the listed materials to create a collage that reminds them of Fall.

Craft: Leaf Creature
Materials: leaves, glue, construction paper
Each student will arrange his/her leaves on a paper to create a leaf creature. The students will use their leaves from home and leaves that others have brought to share.
 
 
 

Autumn Leaf Scrapbook Autumn Pictures on the Web* Autumn Season Autumn: The Color of Our Changing Season Autumn Tree: Craft Autumn Wreath: Craft Definition of Autumn Collaborative Project: Integrated Unit Fall across the curriculum Fall Crafts and Activities Fall Foliage Guide Fall Lanterns: Crafts Fall Leave Number Book: Printable Jerry's Virtual Pumpkin Patch Leaf Glitter: Craft Match the Squirrel with the Correct Nuts Michigan: Fall Road Trip Preserve colorful beauty of autumn leaves Robert Frost: Autumn Leaves Seasons: Fall Site to sign up for Fall The Chemistry of Autumn Colors Why Leaves Change Autumn Leaves: Facts, Act.& Photos 5 Day Unit: Williamson's K Class*

Craft: Icicles on the Roof Top
Materials: Dark blue construction paper cut into the shapes of different houses, white tempera paint, straw
Carefully pour the white paint along the roof line. Next take straws and blow the paint down the roof line to make icicles.
Contributed by Tina (tinab@peplus-mi.com)

Body Movement
1. Shiver Warm - Up
This activity will help your children warm-up on a cold day. Pretend you are controlling the heat in the room. Tell the children you are going to turn the heat down to make them all shiver. When their bodies are all shaking in the make-believe cold, turn the heat back up so their shivers gradually stop. Continue turning the heat up and down. The lower you turn the heat, the harder the children should shiver. Finally, turn the heat off altogether so that they 'freeze' in position.
2. Skating
You and your children can pretend to join some winter skaters, skating on a frozen pond. Let the children skate around the room.
Have the children take off their shoes and put on their make-believe skates. Play some waltz music and have the skates glide in time to the music.
Link to Activity

Language Arts
I will ask the children to think of winter. I will want them to think of the answers and raise their hands when they think of something. As I  read each sentence, I write the answers the students give on the white board. We will review our answers when we complete the activity.
Snow
Snowflakes fall as softly as ________,
Snowflakes fall as quietly as ________.
The snow is as cold as ________.
I love to watch the snow cover up________.
I love walking in the snow like a________.
I think I will save some snow in my ________.
The snow makes me happy because________.
Sometimes the snow makes me sad because_________.
 
 
 

Rhyme: April Shower
Mix a little sunshine
With an April shower.
Drop it in a garden bed
And up pops a flower.

Math: Hunt for Seeds
Put a selection of fruits and vegetables out. Ask the children to tell you which items have seeds inside them. Have the children sort them into seed and no seed piles. Open them up to see what you find out. Keep the seeds for other activities. Slice the fruits and vegetables and enjoy

Science: Plant Experiment
Materials: Two Identical Plants
1. Set out two identical plants. Help the children place one plant in a dark closet and the other on a sunny windowsill. Water the plants as needed. Check the plants every day and have the children observe the differences between them.
Which plant is healthier? Why?
2. Plants need water to grow. To demonstrate, purchase two identical plants. Water one plant but not the other. Let the children observe what happens.

Craft: SPRING HATS
Spring is a time when thoughts turn to warmer weather start. You might talk to the children in your class about the old adage: "April showers, bring May flowers." Explain to children that sometimes in spring people wear hats which are called "bonnets", which are decorated for spring to remind them of warmer weather and flowers. These hats or "bonnets" might even turn into "rain hats" to shield them from the "April Showers."
MATERIALS:
1. Newspaper
2. Glue
3. Large Rubber Band
4. Collage Materials (feathers, cotton balls, tissue paper, glitter, etc.)
Using a large circle template, approximately inches in diameter (a large round serving platter might do the trick), trace circle shape onto two pieces of newspaper. If children can cut this out, then have them cut out two of the traced circles. After two circles have been cut out children will cover one side of one of the circles with glue. Next, place the second cut out circle on top of the glue side of the first. (The teacher will need to do the next two steps) Take the circles, that have now been adhered together and place them centered on the top of a child's head. Gently fit newspaper around child's head, using a large rubber band to secure in place. Fold a brim up, above ears and forehead and around back of head. The hat needs to dry on the child's head for about two or three minutes before removing. After removing the hat let it stand for about 20 minutes then decorate with collage materials.
Link for the Lesson

Craft: Hand Print Flowers
Materials: a paper plate for each child, green construction paper, hand shape traced on paper, glue and paint.
Have the children trace their hands on paper about 5 - 7 times. Cut out and paint color of choice. Paint the paper plate (it becomes centre of flower). Cut stem and leaves from green construction paper.
Have the children glue dry painted hands to outside of paper plate (these become petals). Then glue stem and leaves. Let flower dry completely and then display. These flowers make a welcomed addition to any room.
Link to the Activity
 

Be happy every moment
No matter what you do
Just sing and sing and sing and sing
And let the sunshine through.

Craft: Sandy Beaches

Materials: Paper, sand, white glue, glue brushes, pie tins, precut sun, beach balls, buckets, etc.

Preparation: Assemble materials and pour glue into pie tins. Invite the children to paint pictures using white glue for paint. Then let them sprinkle pinches of sand over the glue. Wait a few minutes until the material has had a chance to stick, then shake of excess. Have the children make beaches by brushing glue across the bottom of light blue construction paper and sprinkling sand on the glue. When their papers are dry, let them paste on precut sun and boat shapes to create summer beach scenes.
Link to activity

Craft: Sunshine Mask
Materials: Paper plate, yarn, yellow tempera paint, scissors, hole punch.
Pre-cut paper plate mask. Paper plate is first cut in half. Next make the outside of the 1/2 circle look like sun rays, cutting with scissors. Next cut out a place for eyes, two small circles. Use the hole punch to place two small holes in each side to tie the yarn. The yarn will be used to tie the mask on the students head. The students will paint the sun masks yellow.

Summer Snacks:
Have a sunny summertime snack day. Serve only yellow food today. Cheese, bananas, yellow Jell-O. Let the children brain storm for ideas.
 

The Four Seasons: After reviewing the four seasons we will create a venn diagram on the white board listing the similarities and differences of the four seasons.
We will color the cards from the magazine MAILBOX using the things we have learned about the four seasons to color them correctly.
Color Cards from Mailbox Oct/Nov 1998