The Earth has seasons due to its tilted axis and yearly revolution around the sun. Spring occurs when the Northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun, bringing longer days and warmer temperatures. Summer is the warmest season with the longest days. Fall follows as temperatures cool and days shorten. Winter is the coldest season when the Northern hemisphere tilts furthest from the sun. Plants and animals have adapted to these seasonal changes through growth, reproduction, dormancy, and hibernation.

1. Why does the Earth have Seasons?
In this lesson, you will learn:
● What are the seasons
● Why the Earth has seasons

2. Seasons: generally defined in climatic areas:
• Spring months are March, April, May. In
Spring the axis of the earth increases it’s
tilt is relative to the sun. The days gets
longer and the temperature warms
causing new plant growth. Rainfall in
Spring is more directly related to the
ocean currents and temperatures.
• Summer months are June, July, August.
In Summer is the warmest season of all
the seasons. The daylight is longest
during the Summer solstice, and the days
get shorter the farther away we get from
the sun.
Spring
Summer

3. Seasons: (Continued)
• Fall months are September,
October, and November. Fall’s from
the warm weather to cold weather.
Fall is the harvest season.
• Winter months are December,
January, and February. It is the
coldest season of the year. On the
Winter solstice we are farthest from
the sun.
Fall
Winter

4. Why the Earth has Seasons
In the diagram above you can see as the Earth
revolves around the sun. Where the sun hits the
Earth in the picture you can observe what season it
is.
The earth spins on a slightly tilted axis of 23.5
degrees. It revolves around the sun in a total of 365
days. In the Winter the Northern hemisphere is
furthest from the sun. The Southern hemisphere is
facing the sun and experiencing warmer weather.
When it is summer in the North hemisphere, it is
winter in the Southern hemishpere.

5. Interesting adaptations
As Earth’s seasons are changing slowly over
time. Winter months are getting harsher.
Summer months are getting warmer.
Animals and plants are adapting to these
conditions. Although plants, and animals
have adapted to and take advantage of
changing seasons. They grow and
reproduce in the summer months where the
weather is warmer, and stay in seed form or
hibernate to successfully make it through
cold months of the winter.

6. Activity
Use a globe and a lamp without a shade to
demonstrate how the sun shines on the
earth. Take the globe and slowly circle
around the lamp, spinning the globe slowly
as you move. Stop at different points during
orbit. On each stop, think about what
portion of the earth would be warmer, and
which would be colder.

7. Citations:
scienceforkids.kidipede.com