Explore Weather, Seasons & Time: A Hands-On Science Lesson Plan for Kids

Teach kids about weather, seasons, and time with this fun, hands-on science lesson plan. Perfect for preschool and kindergarten, this guide includes four engaging activities: become a weather reporter, create a spinning 'Wheel of Seasons' craft, play a season sorting game, and use a globe and flashlight to demonstrate how day, night, and time zones work. This complete lesson plan provides step-by-step instructions, learning objectives, and material lists to help you easily explain key earth science concepts to young learners.

Create Your Own Custom Lesson Plan
PDF

Arturo's World Explorer Adventure: Weather, Seasons, and Time

Materials Needed

  • Large paper plate
  • Construction paper (green, orange, blue, white, brown)
  • Markers or crayons
  • A brass fastener (brad)
  • Scissors (adult supervision required)
  • Glue stick
  • A globe or a large ball
  • A bright flashlight
  • Small stickers or a sticky note
  • Pictures or drawings of different clothes (e.g., swimsuit, winter coat, raincoat, t-shirt) - can be cut from magazines or hand-drawn
  • Four containers or designated areas on the floor (e.g., baskets, mats)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, Arturo will be able to:

  • Observe and Describe: Use descriptive words (sunny, cloudy, windy) to describe the day's weather.
  • Categorize and Explain: Sort clothing and activities into the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) and explain his choices.
  • Demonstrate and Model: Use a globe and flashlight to show how Earth's rotation creates day and night, and explain in his own words why it can be daytime for him and nighttime for someone in another part of the world.

Lesson Activities

Part 1: Weather Reporter Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Goal: To connect with the immediate environment and practice observation skills.

  1. Become a Weather Reporter: Say, "Arturo, you are our special weather reporter today! Your mission is to report on the weather."
  2. Look Outside: Go to a window together. Ask guiding questions: "What do you see in the sky? Are there clouds? Is the sun hiding or shining bright? Can you feel or see any wind blowing the trees?"
  3. Create a Weather Chart: On a piece of paper, draw what you see. If it's sunny, draw a big sun. If it's cloudy, draw fluffy clouds. This is Arturo's official "Weather Report for Today."
  4. Dress for the Weather: Ask, "Based on your report, what kind of clothes should we wear if we go outside today?" This connects observation to a practical application.

Part 2: The Wheel of Seasons Craft (20-25 minutes)

Goal: To create a hands-on tool that shows the cyclical nature of seasons and their distinct characteristics.

  1. Introduce the Seasons: Say, "Weather changes over the year in a pattern called seasons. There are four of them: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter." Briefly describe each one (Spring: flowers bloom, new animals; Summer: hot and sunny; Autumn: leaves change color and fall; Winter: cold and sometimes snowy).
  2. Create the Season Wheel Base: Take the paper plate and help Arturo divide it into four equal sections with a marker.
  3. Decorate Each Season:
    • Summer: Use markers to draw a bright yellow sun.
    • Autumn: Glue on small pieces of orange and brown construction paper to look like falling leaves.
    • Winter: Glue on white paper or cotton balls for snow.
    • Spring: Use green paper for grass and draw colorful flowers.
  4. Make the Arrow: Cut an arrow shape from a piece of sturdy construction paper. Write Arturo's name on it.
  5. Assemble the Wheel: Use the brass fastener to attach the center of the arrow to the center of the paper plate. Now Arturo can spin the arrow to point to any season!
  6. Play "What Season Is It?": Spin the arrow. When it lands on a season, ask Arturo, "What happens in the [Summer]?" or "What would you wear in the [Winter]?"

Part 3: Season Sorting Game (10 minutes)

Goal: To apply knowledge of the seasons by categorizing items.

  1. Set Up: Label your four containers (or floor areas) with the four seasons. You can draw a simple symbol for each (flower for spring, sun for summer, leaf for autumn, snowflake for winter).
  2. The Challenge: Spread out the pictures of different clothes and activities (e.g., building a snowman, swimming, raking leaves, planting flowers).
  3. Sort It Out: Say, "Arturo, let's sort these! Where does the big winter coat belong?" Let him pick up the picture and place it in the "Winter" basket. Continue with all the items, encouraging him to explain his choices ("I put the swimsuit in summer because it's hot and you go swimming!").

Part 4: Flashlight Time Zone Adventure (10-15 minutes)

Goal: To make the abstract concept of time zones visible and understandable.

  1. Find Our Home: Using the globe (or ball), find the general area where you live. Place a small sticker or sticky note there to represent "Arturo's House."
  2. The Sun and Earth: Say, "This globe is a model of our planet, Earth. And this flashlight is our sun! The Earth is always slowly spinning."
  3. Make it Day and Night: Darken the room as much as possible. Shine the flashlight ("the sun") on the globe. Say, "Look! The side of the Earth facing the sun has light. That's daytime." Slowly rotate the globe.
  4. Discover Night: As you rotate the globe, your sticker will move away from the light. Ask, "What's happening to our house now? Is it in the light or the dark?" When it's on the dark side, explain, "Now it's nighttime here. The sun is shining on the other side of the world."
  5. Connect to People: If you have friends or family in a faraway place, find their location on the globe. Position the globe so it's daytime at "Arturo's House." Ask, "Is it daytime or nighttime at Grandma's house?" Rotate it to show how when it's light for one, it can be dark for the other. This is the big idea of time zones!

Wrap-Up and Assessment

Goal: To review the concepts in a low-pressure, conversational way.

  1. Show and Tell: Ask Arturo to use his new Season Wheel to show you which season is his favorite and tell you why.
  2. Quick Questions:
    • "What was the weather like today according to our Weather Reporter?" (Checks observation skills).
    • "If you were packing a suitcase for a trip to the beach in the summer, what is one thing you would pack?" (Checks season application).
    • "Can you tell me why your friend who lives far away might be sleeping when you are eating breakfast?" (Checks time zone understanding).
  3. Praise and Encouragement: Celebrate his great work as a World Explorer, Weather Reporter, and Scientist for the day!

Extension Ideas (Optional)

  • Advanced Time Zones: Draw a "clock" on the sticky note at your house. As you rotate the globe, talk about what you might be doing at that time (e.g., "It's daytime here, so it's 10 AM, we're playing. Now we rotate... it's dark, it's 10 PM, we're sleeping.").
  • Global Weather: Use the globe to talk about how it can be winter in one part of the world (e.g., Argentina) when it is summer where you live (e.g., United States).
  • Season Diary: For a week, have Arturo draw a picture each day of the weather and what he wore, creating a small weather journal.