Sun and Seasons (Week 6)

Manna Moment and Opening Activities

As the students entered, I set out the photosynthesis cards and had them pick the ingredients for it and make some food for their plant and oxygen for us.  I made it into an equation where Sun + Water+ CO2 = Sugar + O2. 

​We then remembered that our Creation God has set all of Creation in order and in motion by reviewing the first three days of Creation and learning the hand motions for the fourth day of Creation that go with Where Did the World Come From?

One of my students was having trouble putting the equation for photosynthesis together and another student would race over to him and help him with the next part of the equation.  I loved seeing the team work and kindness!

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God's power and goodness were made clear on Day 4.

Why do we have Seasons?

We need the energy from the Sun for plants to grow and we have food.  Yet another component of growing food is the importance of our seasons and how we get to have four seasons so that we have enough time to grow the amount of food necessary for life on earth.  We also need the tilt of the Earth to give us our spring and fall seasons.  If our Earth hung in space straight up and down, we would simple have winter and summer which would not give us enough time to grow food.
I brought in a lamp with no shade to represent the Sun and an inflatable globe that I used to demonstrate how the Earth rotates on its axis at a tilt while revolving around the Sun.  The students were able to see why the tilt was so important.

While traveling around the Sun, we sang the Season's Song to the tune of 'This Old Man'
'Winter, Spring,
Summer, Fall
There are seasons
Four in all
Look outside and you will see
It is _________, yes sirree

It was funny today, I wasn't sure which season the students would say it is.  It's 'supposed' to be winter and cold yet it was 70 degrees when I taught this lesson and felt a whole lot like spring.  Texas weather, very unpredicatable.

Read Aloud:  The Seasons of Arnolds Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

This book highlights the changes in the tree as it goes through the seasons and how Arnold responds to the changes.  Something to not is that he never complains and each season brings new activities that he is glad to do.

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Seasonal tissue paper trees

To review the different seasons during class, I had the students make tissue paper trees and remember the seasons, why we have seasons, and what are the two things that we need in order to have the seasons.  We need the seasons in order to grow food.  We need the sun to give energy to the plants to make food through photosynthesis, and we need the earth tilted at just the right angle so that we can have the pleasant seasons that we do.

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This student loves to attend to the details of her work.  She took her seasonal trees home and found some kleenex to place on the 'winter' tree.  So resourceful!

Wrapping tissue paper around a pencil eraser and gluing to the trees is a fine motor skill and while she had trouble with it during class, she persevered and practiced and accomplished

Mission Accomplished!!!  What a beautiful depiction of the seasons!!!

Homework highlight

I love seeing all the students complete their homework.  They receive stickers for completion that work towards a prize at the end of class.

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