Storytime with Jessica – Seasons

Seasons can be tricky for kids to get their heads around but books are a great way of diving into the different seasons whether that be:

Summer – Autumn – Winter – Spring (Climate Glossary)

or

Birak – Bunuru – Djeran – Makuru  – Djilba – Kambarang (Nyoongar seasons)

Unfortunately, I don’t have a book that deals with the Noongar seasons, but we will talk about them at Seasons Storytime sessions.

Human brains like to classify and group things, much like time is a man-made constraint so too are the seasons based on things like the rotation around the sun and the tilt of the Earth’s axis. Seasons can also be lots of fun as well; rainy days in Winter, hot Summer days, watching the leaves turn on deciduous plants and then turning them into compost. Talking about seasons can help children understand why some weather and events happen in certain times of the year as well.

I hadn’t thought too much about how the seasons work outside Australia when I was a kid, it was mostly just thinking that our summer was their winter…but, I was so wrong – it’s way more complicated than that. 

Australia and New Zealand both begin their seasons on the first day of a month which is known as the meteorological method – as do Ireland and Russia. However, Europe and North America use a system known as the astronomical where they set a certain day or time when they change seasons. For instance, Winter for 2022/2023 runs December 21 (9:48 pm) to March 20 (9:24 pm) When do the seasons start and end? (surfertoday.com) On top of that, many countries use as little as two seasons (wet-dry) or, like the Noongar people, use six seasons for example the Hindu or Bengali seasons. 

Enough theory about seasons, let’s get to the books!

A Year On Our Farm written by Penny Matthews and illustrated by Andrew McLean.

Every month of the year there are jobs to do on a small Australian farm. Fruit ripens, lambs are born, hay is harvested. A Year on Our Farm shows the passing of the seasons through the eyes of the children for whom the farm and all its animals is home.

This book is a great one to share as it takes children through the year on a farm and the different things that happen in different seasons and months. Lots of kids don’t have familiarity with the way different seasons impact on livestock and crops, but through this book, they can learn about this impact.

I Want Snow! by Tony Ross

When the Queen goes on a trip and sends back a photo of her feeding some penguins, Little Princess decides she wants snow too. The whole palace tries all kind of things – from sandmen instead of snowmen to mudballs instead of snowballs. But this little royal won’t be satisfied until she gets what she wants… and sometimes not even then!

I want snow…being in Switzerland on the top of a mountain just doesn’t count – I want snow falling from the sky and to build a snowman and to have a snowball fight. I’m completely ignoring the fact it would be sooooo cold and wet and I’m sure there are lots of unpleasant things because I’ve never lived somewhere it snowed and…I WANT SNOW!

So does Little Princess and this book also has the connection to how much children want things right now and how little logical matters like the actual season matter. I always enjoy Tony Ross’ stories and this one is great for all of us Australians (or wherever you’re from) that want snow because we don’t have it.

Rhymes

A Snowflake’s On My Nose

A snowflake’s on my nose,
A snowflake’s on my nose,
Hi-ho, just watch me blow
The snowflake off my nose!

Where else on our body might it land?
Finger
Knee
Shoulder
Chin …

Craft

What to Do:

1. Colour in the season pictures.
2. Cut the bottom off the page and then cut out the seasons.
3. Glue them into the correct square.