Seasons and the weather
This list consists of lesson plans, activities and ideas to support the teaching of science through the topic of Seasons and the Weather. It shows how to link science to the topic, tips on using the resources, suggestions for further use and background subject knowledge to support teachers in delivering the science objectives. Resources support the teaching of observation of seasonal changes and observing the weather over time.
Visit the primary resources for cross curricular topics webpage to access all resource lists:
https://www.stem.org.uk/cross-curricular-topics-resources
A First Look at Rocks, Soil and Weather
This pupil booklet contains several weather poems, useful as starting points for discussion with children. It also includes a number of images of examples of weather vanes; maybe there might be one on a local church or other building close to you? Children might build their own using recyclable materials and use them to observe how wind direction changes as the wind blows. Adding a flag or string of bunting to the outdoor space around school allows children to see how strongly the wind is blowing.
Weather Picture Cards
What does weather of different types look like...and feel like? These weather picture cards could be printed and used to show examples of what different weather conditions might look like. Alternatively, ask children to add appropriate 'weather' to an image of something familiar - perhaps their school or a local building or church. The addition of a familiar person - or themselves - to the image encourages them to think about how they might need to dress, if it were snowy, sunny or pouring with rain. This works well as a collaborative piece of work or even a classroom display, where key weather words can be added as stimulus for further learning.
Children Dressed for the Seasons Posters
This set of posters shows how children might be dressed in different months of the year. Children might think about, for example, whether they always wear sunglasses, shorts and tee shirt in July. Might the weather be different? Is it always hot and sunny in July? Looking at weather records they've collected might be useful here. Would the clothing pictured be suitable for the weather recorded on their chart (for a given month)? The variability we all experience each month / week / day shows us just how changeable British weather can be!
Weather and Seasons Word Mats
This useful resource provides ready to go key vocabulary relevant to the topics of weather and the seasons. Encourage children to refer to the word mats and practise the vocabulary as they tell you 'what's the weather today?' or as they describe the signs of the seasons that they notice around the school grounds and in the natural world.
Seasonal Changes
This resource aimed at lower primary level looks at how weather and daylight length change with the different season. It consists of a template for a four seasons disc, which shows four different times in the day and what we may observe at these times during the different seasons. Key vocabulary is provided which may be cut out and placed on the relevant season.
BBC Bitesize Seasonal Change Class Clips
Use these 17 short video clips to show the different ways plant and animals respond to the changes in the seasons. The clips are accompanied by a guide for teachers.