We all understand that the earth undergoes seasonal changes, and we generally understand there to be four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. We differentiate the seasons by changes in day length, shifting weather patterns and changes in the plant and animal community.
Seasons begin and end on specific dates according to the solar calendar, but does a season arrive all at once? Do all the flowers bloom at the beginning of spring? In fall, do all the leaves drop off of the trees at the same moment on the same day? Of course not! There’s a pattern and progression to these seasonal changes. Each season fades and builds into the next through a series of small changes. Week to week, and sometimes even day to day, we can observe new waves of change sweep over the landscape. When we become more aware of these changes, we become more in tune with our local environment. We gain a greater appreciation for our local environment as we come to know the richness of the landscape.
EID Connections: This activity encourages greater Spatial Autonomy and the development of Environmental Competency in reading the natural landscape. With supplemental activities listed below, one can practice Environmental Action.
The Activity: Tracking Seasonal Changes
This activity encourages you to notice and track the seasonal changes in your environment. The “environment” where you note these changes could be anywhere, from your backyard, to the park, to your local nature trail. See the Closing Activities for suggestions on how to incorporate this activity into academic subjects.
For young children: Choose fewer categories to track changes in. Allow children to record their observations through drawings.
For older children, adolescents and adults: Encourage more detailed observations (drawn or written) and species identifications in recordings. Use the supplemental activities to participate in citizen science activities.
Note: Scientists call the study of seasonal changes ‘phenology.’ There are certain times of year we expect to see the weather change, see plants grow, watch animals migrate. Sometimes these seasonal patterns shift, occurring earlier or later and scientists learn more about the environment through observation of these changes.
- A notebook or blank calendar
- Pencils, pens, crayons, etc.
- Identification guides for reference** (may be found online)
- Possible: Small note-taking book, phone or camera for pictures, binoculars
**Identification guides: Local bookstores and parks are great places to look for identification guides for your local flora and fauna. There are many excellent online resources and smartphone apps that can help identify specimens as well (e.g., iNaturalist can often help identify any type of plant, animal, fungi). And of course, you don’t have to identify everything you see! Noticing and describing the changes you see is what’s important.
This activity requires you to be out in your environment with regularity. You can choose to note the seasonal changes every day or every week (soon, you’ll notice the changes without actively trying). Choose at least one day a week to note seasonal changes, adding more days if you choose. Try to note changes within the same general location, whether that be your yard or the local nature trail. While outside, slow down and be mindful of your environment. Practice intentional awareness and observation. As you grow more familiar with your environment, it will be easier to notice new changes. You may find yourself growing excited with each new observation!
These changes will obviously depend on both the season and the ecosystem in your region. We recommend picking as few or as many of these options as you wish. Without much prior knowledge (or with young children), weather and plant changes may be the easiest to track.
- Weather changes (temperature, rain, clouds, snow, wind, etc.)
- What flowers are blooming?
- What trees are growing leaves/changing color/losing leaves?
- What nuts or seeds do you see on the ground?
- What animals do you notice (or hear)?
- What birds are around?
- What berries or fruits are in ripe?
- Are the grasses green or brown?
- How high or low are local bodies of water?
- Are any mushrooms or fungi growing?
- Anything else you notice!
- You can directly record your observations as you see them outside, or you can take a few notes/pictures to record them later.
- Changes can be recorded journal-style with a notebook, or on a large blank calendar.
- Observations can be written, drawn or both (by both children and adults).
- We recommend continuing this activity for at least 4-6 weeks, but it may go on indefinitely.
Take an opportunity for reflection. Questions for reflection may include:
- What did you find?
- What did you learn?
- What was exciting?
- What was surprising?
- How would you describe (season) now?
- When do you feel like this season “began” or “ended,” if at all?
- Draw a few pictures showing different “stages” of the season based on your records.
- Create a “story” or narrative about the changing season, describing the changes of the season over time.
- Create a graph or chart tracking the presence and disappearance, blooming or dying, of different species over time throughout the season (Can also track temperature and weather events on a graph).
- If you can and have repeated this activity for multiple years, compare the observations from previous years at the same or similar calendar dates. What changed? What remained the same?
Supplemental Activity: Engaging in Citizen Science
Older children and adults may use this activity as an opportunity to engage in citizen science and phenology research.
Project Budburst http://budburst.org specifically tracks plant life cycles for the purposes of phenological research. Children and adults can upload their observations of seasonal plant changes onto the website. In doing so, they are contributing to real ongoing research. Do an online search for citizen science and phenology to find new or different projects to participate in!
This project is funded by the National Science Foundation. Award # 1753399, CAREER: A longitudinal study of the emotional and behavioral processes of Environmental Identity Development among rural and non-rural Alaskan children