Family Science Learning Overview
You can use this activity to discuss and share seasonal knowledge and practices, and why these are important to you as a family.
There are many different ways to understand and talk about seasons, including in relation to celestial bodies (changes in Earth’s rotation in relation to the sun), in relation to seasonal practices (changes in what people, plants, and animals do differently in each season), and in relation to climate patterns, such as rain, wind, drought. These different ways of thinking about seasons are all interconnected, but are different ways of centering and honoring diverse ways of knowing and being.
Overview
Share things that only happen in this season for your family (for example, events and activities, foods you might eat, artifacts you make, decisions you make).
- Brainstorm (and write down) as many things as you can think of that your family does in this season.
- You can use the template provided to guide your discussions, or you can make your own template by drawing something similar on a blank sheet of paper.
What Can You Do To Support Learning?
- It is better to surface many ideas instead of looking for one “right” answer. Encourage and support everyone in your family to share.
- If someone is having a hard time thinking of something your family does in this season, you can help them by sharing stories from this season in the past (“Remember last year when we went to [a specific place] with [specific people]?”).
- Ask questions to keep the discussion going. Some examples:
- Why do you think we do [whatever event, practice, etc. is shared] during this season and not during other seasons?
- What decisions do we usually need to make during this season and why?
Activity Sheet
Connecting with Other Families
Ask family members and friends to have these discussions too. Then you can share your seasonal stories and compare and contrast. You could also ask family members and friends to do some of the extension activities that are listed at the bottom of the activity sheet with your family.
Connect to Other Activities
Learning in Places Frameworks to Consider
- Phenology