Summer
Background Information & Activities

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This movie will explore summer weather and explain what happens during this season. It will also describe how some animals—including people—adapt to hot summer weather. Before watching, discuss the seasons with children and activate their prior knowledge. We recommend watching the Seasons movie and completing a few features for review. You may also wish to share the Fall, Winter, and Spring movies.

Remind children that summer is the season between spring and fall. Review that it takes one year for Earth to orbit, or go around the Sun. Earth is tilted at an angle, and its tilt and orbit cause the seasons to change. During the summer, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. Some children may recognize that during this time, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. This means that when it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, summer begins on June 21st or June 22nd, when Earth's tilt brings the northern hemisphere closer to the Sun than any other time of the year.

What is summer weather like? Discuss with children. Remind them that during the summer there are more hours of sunlight and the days are longer than in other seasons. Summer is the hottest season in most places. Usually during the beginning of summer the weather is warm. Then it gets hotter and hotter as summer continues. Near the end of summer, the weather gets cooler, especially as fall approaches. Help children understand weather patterns in your area. Some places may be hot and dry during the summer. Other areas are hot and humid, and the air is damp and moist.

During the summer, some places get less rain than normal. A drought is a long period of time with little or no rain. Help children understand that droughts can occur in all seasons, not just during the summer. Droughts can cause problems for many living things. Have children think about what might happen to plants and animals if they had no water. During a drought, plants may dry up and die, and wildfires can spread quickly over a dry area.

Some places get more thunderstorms during the summer. Warm air rises from land and into the sky where it cools. Clouds can form and gather, and rain can fall. Summer is also a season for hurricanes, which are strong storms with very fast winds. To learn more about hurricanes, you can explore our Fast Land Changes movie.

What happens to plants and animals in the summer? Discuss with children. Help them understand that during the spring, many plants sprout buds and flowers. During the summer heat, some flowers lose their petals or die. However, many trees, bushes, and grasses stay green throughout this season. Since many animals give birth during the spring, summer is a time when the offspring grow and develop. Help children understand that food in summer is plentiful so it is a natural time to rear young and teach them the skills they need to survive and prepare for the harsher winter weather ahead. Since summer is the hottest season in many places, animals have special ways to cool down in the heat. Elephant have large, thin ears where blood is closer to the surface of the skin. They can flap their ears to cool down, or use mud and water to cool their bodies. Animals such as lemurs are covered mostly in fur, so they lick their hands to stay cool. Dogs and cats have thick coats during the winter, but some will shed their coats for the summer. People wear shorts, T-shirts, and hats to stay cool during the summer. They also wear sunscreen to help protect their skin from the sun.

Discuss summer activities with children. Many schools take a break during the summer, and students get a lot of free time. Some families take vacations together, have barbeques, or go on picnics. Some people go swimming at the pool or visit the beach. Others go camping or other outdoor activities. Remind children that summer is also a time to read and work on their own projects. It is a perfect time to learn a new sport or skill. They can take fun classes and explore their interests! What fun things do children have planned for the summer? Discuss and motivate children to try something new and explore a reading list.

Summer Teacher Activities – Click Here!

Summer Family Activities – Click Here!

Summer Teacher Activities

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Stay Cool

Have students explore different animals and learn how they stay cool in the heat. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about animal adaptations and how they survive in their habitats. You may wish to divide students into small groups or pairs and have them choose an animal to explore, perhaps an animal native to your community. How does the animal survive in the summer? How does it change and prepare for the winter? Have students present their findings to the class.

Summer Plans

What will your students do during their summer vacation? Have children share their plans with the class. Then create a summer checklist that challenges students. You may include specific books to read, things to write about, or art projects to create. You may want to add things like learning ten new words, or learning how to say "thank you" in four different languages. Be sure to include physical activities such as playing a game of tag or jump-roping fifteen times. Be creative and come up with different ideas together! Help children meet these goals by outlining specific dates to complete certain activities. If possible, encourage them to return the checklists to you in the fall for a special reward. You may want to invite them to eat lunch with you and have everyone share what they accomplished.

Summer Family Activities

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Something New

Over the summer, learn something new with your child. You may want to explore a new language or take up a new sport. You may want to take an art or dance class together or learn how to write a play. Decide on an activity or skill together and stick to it! Throughout the process, keep a detailed journal or blog with your child. You and your child may want to draw pictures or take photos to keep a visual record as well.

What's the Weather?

Keep a detailed weather chart throughout the summer. You may want to make a rain gauge by sticking a ruler into a cup. Everyday, have your child read a thermometer and note the temperature, preferably at a set hour in the middle of the day, such as noon. For comparison purposes, you might also choose to chart the temperature late in the evening, as well. Then have your child record his or her observations. This will give your child a better understanding of weather patterns, but also help him or her practice important science skills. At the end of the summer, assess your weather chart. When was the hottest day of the summer? When was the coolest? How many times did it rain?