Spring is finally here (albeit late) and it is the perfect time of the year to think about seasons. The days are getting longer and we are finally able to get outside every day. Change is everywhere and helping children recognize these changes in their environment, encourages observational skills.
Looking for buds on trees, spring lambs and chicks and eventually grass greening and flowers beginning to emerge are the obvious signs of spring. There are other ways we can encourage our children to look closer:
Seasons Series
With beautiful, very simple repeated text, high frequency, easy to understand words and strong photo-to-text matching, the books in this series provide a perfect introduction to seasons for early readers. Each title focuses on what children will be able to see and experience in a particular season, including seasonal activities and exciting changes in the natural world. A quiz at the end of each book helps to consolidate learning.
Scrapbooking
Children can collect seasonal items for a scrapbook. Photos of building a snowman in winter, puddle jumping in spring, some dried flowers in summer and leaves in fall are wonderful additions to art and mark-making experiences. Looking back at the scrapbook is a wonderful way to reinforce the passage of time and changing seasons.
Four Seasons Trees Bulletin Board Set
This set includes 4 seasonal trees, each 63.5cm (25″) tall, 4 headers, each 33.02cm x 12.7cm (13″ x 5″) and a resource guide giving ideas on multiple ways it can be used.
Giant Encyclopedia Of Monthly Activities
This book is quite the giant and is a wonderful resource to dip into. Activities are organized by month and learning experiences are varied and cover all aspects of the traditional curriculum. Written by teachers, each activity includes material lists and possible extension ideas. Books are suggested to further enhance learning and dramatic play and the finger plays are adorable.
Birds
Whether you like to watch the geese fly back in a ‘v’, or a robin feed her babies, birds are a wonderful way to track the seasons. Feeding the birds through winter gives us an outside focus as we spend more time indoors. At this time of year exploring nest construction and watching birds build is a wonderful way to learn about animal homes.
And no-one can resist building chocolate nests with left over mini eggs!
However we choose to mark the changing seasons, chances are children will point out something new that we have missed. Snow melting gives us an exciting new world out there to explore!