Seasonal Changes: Spring and Summer

Active learning works well for seasonal changes because children need to see, touch, and record nature’s shifts firsthand. Walking outside, handling seeds, and watching plants grow turn abstract ideas about time and growth into concrete evidence they can discuss and compare.

• Year 2
• Science
• 4 activities
• 30 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Compare the observable characteristics of plants and animals during spring and summer.
2. Explain how increased daylight and warmer temperatures in spring support plant germination and growth.
3. Classify animal behaviors observed in spring and summer based on activity levels and life cycle stages.
4. Justify why animal activity increases significantly from winter to summer, citing food availability and temperature as factors.

Experiential Learning

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Nature Walk: Seasonal Signs Hunt

Lead the class on a 20-minute school grounds walk. Provide clipboards and checklists for spotting 8-10 signs like buds, flowers, or nests. Pairs discuss and sketch findings, then report back to create a class seasonal chart.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between the signs of spring and summer.

Facilitation Tip: During the Nature Walk, carry a simple checklist so students focus on searching for five key signs before drawing or photographing their finds.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Plant Growth Tracker: Cress Experiment

Plant cress seeds in trays under varying light conditions. Over two weeks, small groups measure height daily, draw changes, and note links to spring warmth. Compare growth to winter simulations using a dark cupboard.

Prepare & details

Analyze how the environment supports new life in spring.

Facilitation Tip: For the Plant Growth Tracker, pre-label cress trays with student names and plant dates to avoid confusion during the two-week observation period.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Animal Spotting Survey: Playground Counts

During outdoor time, small groups tally insects, birds, and other animals over 10 minutes. Record on pictograph sheets and graph results. Discuss why counts rise from spring to summer using food web drawings.

Prepare & details

Justify why more animals are active in summer than in winter.

Facilitation Tip: When completing the Animal Spotting Survey, assign small teams to cover different areas of the playground to increase coverage and reduce double-counts.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Whole Class: Seasonal Wheel Craft

Draw a large circle divided into seasons. Whole class adds drawings and labels for spring/summer changes based on prior observations. Rotate to explain one segment, reinforcing differentiation.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between the signs of spring and summer.

Facilitation Tip: Use the Seasonal Wheel Craft to review prior knowledge before starting any activities, so students connect new learning to what they already know.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by moving between outdoor observation and indoor reflection daily. Start with short, focused walks to collect data, then bring findings back to the classroom for sorting and discussion. Avoid relying on videos or pictures too early, as firsthand experience builds stronger memory. Use guided questions like ‘What do you notice about the leaves that is different from winter?’ to prompt scientific thinking.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students noticing small details in nature, using specific vocabulary to describe changes, and linking observations to seasonal patterns with confidence. They should explain why certain signs belong to a season using evidence from their work.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Nature Walk, watch for students who assume all trees are bare in spring or full in summer without checking individual branches.

What to Teach Instead

Ask students to photograph the same tree each week and compare photos in pairs, naming each visible stage (buds, leaves, flowers) with labels.

Common Misconception

During the Animal Spotting Survey, watch for students who attribute increased animal activity solely to playfulness.

What to Teach Instead

Have teams tally behaviors before and after lunch, then compare totals to temperature and food availability data collected during the walk.

Common Misconception

During the Plant Growth Tracker, watch for students who expect all cress to grow at the same rate regardless of light or water.

What to Teach Instead

Encourage students to swap trays weekly and measure growth differences, recording findings in a shared class chart to highlight variability.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Nature Walk, present students with a mix of plant and animal images. Ask them to sort the images into ‘Signs of Spring’ and ‘Signs of Summer’, then share one detail that helped them decide during a turn-and-talk.

Discussion Prompt

During the Seasonal Wheel Craft, ask students to imagine they are a bird returning in spring. Have them describe three changes they would notice by looking at their nature walk photos and cress tray records.

Exit Ticket

After the Plant Growth Tracker, provide a worksheet with ‘Spring’ and ‘Summer’ columns. Ask students to draw or write two distinct observations for each season related to plants or animals they tracked, such as ‘buds opening’ or ‘bees buzzing’.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to predict what will happen to the cress if moved to a shady windowsill, then test their hypothesis over a week.
• For students who struggle, provide sentence starters for their observation journals: ‘I see ___. This means ___ because ___.’
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to research how one animal or plant adapts to change, then present findings using their seasonal wheel as a visual aid.

Key Vocabulary

Germination	The process by which a plant seed begins to sprout and grow, often triggered by warmth and moisture.
Budding	The stage of plant growth where new leaves or flowers begin to form and emerge from a stem or branch.
Fledgling	A young bird that has developed wing feathers large enough for flight and is learning to fly from the nest.
Pollination	The transfer of pollen from one flower to another, which is essential for many plants to produce seeds and fruit.