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Spring, summer, autumn and winter. What are the seasons? How do seasons affect our lives and the world around us?

In this article you can learn about:

• The four seasons and how to identify them
• How our daily lives are affected by the seasons
• How the seasons affect plants and animals

This resource is suitable for weather topics for primary school learners.

Watch this video to learn about the four seasons and how they affect our daily lives.

• In the UK, spring starts in March and lasts until the end of May.
• The temperature rises after the cold winter.
• The days feel longer because we get more of the sun's light throughout the day.
• Many plants and trees, like daffodils and cherry trees, begin to grow and bud.
• Many animals have their babies. Lambs and calves are born. Frogs and toads lay their spawn in ponds.
• Many animals come out of hibernation or some animals return to the UK having migrated to a warmer place during the winter.
• Farmers sow seeds and begin to grow their crops.

• Summer in the UK is between June and August.
• Summer brings warmer weather and sunny days.
• Many of us spend more time outside.
• A lot of life thrives in the sun, so you will see plenty of wildlife and plants and trees in full blossom.
• Farmers use this time to maintain their crops for good growth.

• Autumn in the UK is between September and November.
• Autumn brings cooler temperatures and shorter days.
• Many animals prepare to hibernate in autumn by eating lots of food and finding a warm safe spot before winter.
• Some animals migrate from the UK to warmer places ahead of the cold winter.
• Farmers usually harvest their crops in autumn. Crops are taken to shops and supermarkets for people to buy or processed for people to eat all year round.

Learn more about how food makes its way from farms to our plates here: Food and health: Farm to plate

• Autumn brings lots of beautiful colours, like oranges, reds, and yellows, for us to enjoy.
• The leaves of plants contain a chemical called chlorophyll that absorbs sunlight. This is what makes leaves green.
• Leaves contain lots of other coloured chemicals but there is much more of the green chlorophyll. The green colour is much stronger in spring and summer and hides the other colours.
• In autumn, the weather gets colder, the days get darker, and there is less sunlight for the leaves to absorb.
• Deciduous trees stop making new chlorophyll, so the leaves lose their green colour.
• When the green colour fades the other hidden colours are revealed: the oranges, reds, browns, and yellows that we see in autumn.

Learn more about different trees: Isla and Connor Explore Forests

• Winter typically lasts from December to February and is the coldest of all the seasons.
• Our days are shorter in winter as we get less hours of sunlight throughout the day.
• Cooler temperatures mean we are more likely to get snow, ice and frost.
• We need to think about wrapping up warm with jackets, hats, scarves and gloves.

• There is a lot less wildlife and fewer plants in bloom to see. Many trees lose their leaves and a lot of animals migrate or hibernate in winter.
• However, there are some birds, trees and other plants that have adapted to thrive and survive in winter.
• Oak trees are dormant in winter but their seeds (acorns) need the cold temperatures in winter for their seeds to germinate.
• Bulbs, like snowdrops and bluebells, also start growing in winter ready to flower in spring.
• Some birds, like fieldfares, redwings, bramblings, migrate to the UK in winter because it is even colder where they come from (places like Iceland and Scandinavia) and food is easier to find.

• Earth is going through a period of climate change. The atmosphere is heating up because of global heating and this is changing the weather, water levels and seasons.
• Our winters are getting warmer and wetter and our summers are getting hotter and drier.
• Climate change has also changed when seasons arrive. For example, the changes in weather and temperature that we associate with spring are often coming earlier in the year than they used to.
• These changes have a big impact on wildlife and food chains.

• temperature - How we measure how hot or cold it is. We usually measure temperature in degrees Celsius.
• spawn - The eggs of an animal that lives in water, like fish and amphibians.
• crops - Plants that are grown for humans to eat, such as grain, vegetables, or fruit.
• migrate - When an animal travels from one place to another. This is usually because of changing seasons.
• hibernate - When an animal becomes inactive during the winter months to save energy. Their breathing and heartrate slows down and their body temperature drops.
• harvest - Gathering crops when they are fully grown and ready to store or eat.

Test your knowledge of the seasons with this short multiple choice quiz.

Create a poster about an animal who changes its behaviour when the seasons change.

Think about animals who hibernate or migrate when the seasons change. When do they do this? Why? How do they prepare?