Seasons (junior)
Where can I find information about seasons?
(Years 1-4)
Image: Daffodil, flower, nature and dew by Mohammed Amin on Unsplash.
Entry last updated: 22/01/25
Introduction
Years are split into seasons. In many places, such as New Zealand, there are four seasons. They are spring, summer, autumn (or fall), and winter. In tropical areas, there are often only two seasons, which are rainy (also called wet or monsoon season) and dry.
The seasons
Spring: In spring the weather starts to warm up, trees start to grow leaves, and plants start to flower. This is the season that a lot of animals are born. In New Zealand the months of spring are September, October and November.
Summer: Summer is the hottest season, and there are more hours of daylight. In New Zealand the months of summer are December, January and February.
Autumn: The weather starts to cool down in autumn and leaves fall off the trees. In New Zealand the months of autumn are March, April and May.
Winter: This is the coldest season. The days are the shortest during winter time. In New Zealand the months of winter are June, July and August.
In areas near the equator, it is a lot warmer. These places do not have four seasons like other parts of the world. They usually have two seasons which are:
Rainy: The rainy season is usually shorter than the dry season. During the rainy season there is a lot of rain and the plants grow, ponds fill up with water, and animals are healthy and happy.
Dry: There is very little or no rain during the dry season. Plants and animals can find it hard to survive without much water.
General websites
Here are some websites that have fantastic information about seasons.
This education site is easy to read and interesting.
Search for 'seasons'.
Find out about why seasons happen, the Earth's tilt, and the longest and shortest days.
Britannica School is one of the EPIC databases. EPIC is a collection of reliable resources covering lots of different topics. It’s put together especially for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this.
Use the search bar and enter 'season'.
Choose the article season (meteorological division).
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.
Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. Weather and seasons are very important in Māori culture and mythology. The story of Tāwhirimātea, the god of the weather, explains how important seasons are to the Māori culture.
Use the search bar and enter 'the seasons'.
Select the article called The seasons, part of Story: Tāwhirimātea – the weather to read about the importance and traditions of the seasons in Māori culture.
Tips: We like Te Ara because it comes from a government organisation. If we scroll down to the bottom of the page we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.
Books
Your school or local library will have books about the seasons. Here are some that we found:
Seasons by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw.
Seasons by Peter D Riley.
Weather and the seasons by DK Publishing, Inc.
SCIS no: 1912588
Topics covered
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