Seasons

The seasons

This list explains the four seasons for countries such as New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere, and the two seasons for countries around the equator.

Spring: In spring the weather starts to warm up, trees start to grow leaves, and plants start to flower. This is the season when 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 winter are March, April and May.

Winter: This is the coldest season. 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.

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 information about seasons.

Ducksters

This education site is easy to read and interesting.

• Search for 'seasons'.

• Go to Kids science: Earth's Seasons.

• Find out about why seasons happen, the Earth's tilt, and the longest and shortest days.

Britannica School

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).

• You will find information on the cycle of seasons and the impact of the sun and the tilt of Earth's axis on the seasons.

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 6 pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

Te Ara

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. You will find out why weather and seasons are important to Māori culture and mythology.

• Use the search bar and enter keywords 'the seasons'.

• Select the article called The seasons to read what each season means to Māori.

• The Story: Tāwhirimātea – the weather is about the Māori god of the weather, and explains how important seasons are to Māori culture.

Tips: We like sites that are from government or other reputable organisations, because we can trust the information. You can sometimes tell these sites by their web address – they might have .govt or .edu in their address – or by looking at their About us or Contact pages.

The Kid Should See This

This is a great website for videos on lots of different topics including why we have seasons.

• Use the search bar to enter in 'seasons'.

• Select the video called Reasons for the Seasons.

• Explore other videos related to the seasons.

Tips: Websites that have .com in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About TKSST link on the website, to find out what the company’s mission and values are.

Books

Check your school or public library to see what they have on seasons. Here are some titles to begin with:

• Seasons by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw.

• Weather in 30 seconds by Jen Green.

• Seasons by Peter D Riley.

• The complete book of the seasons by Sally Tagholm.

SCIS no: 1952341