This is Aby the turtle and Jack the squirrel. They love to play outside together every day. Aby noticed that it is later in the afternoon and the sun is still perfectly shining on them 

Hey Jack, have you ever noticed that the sun sets at a different time randomly and then does it continuously for a long time? 

Yes, it is because of something called seasons, the sun sets later during Spring and Summer and sets earlier during Fall and Winter. 

Could you explain the seasons to me in more detail?

Sure! We will go through each season and learn about what happens to the sun during each season. 

Fall: Sun is starting to not shine as much and days start getting shorter.

During the fall, the sun is starting to prepare for Winter. The leaves start to fall off the trees. During this season, the sun is out for a shorter amount every day, even though you might not always notice it. 

Wow! How cool, I don't even notice that the sun is out for a shorter time every day.

Winter: Sun sets earlier and we do not get as much sunlight. 

In the winter, the sun seems to go to sleep earlier. The sun also doesn't seem to shine as bright, but really, it is because of how Earth is tilted, leaning away from the sun.

Oh okay, so the sun is not shining less, our Earth is just leaning away from it. 

Spring: The Sun starts to shine more on Earth. 

During Spring, the Earth starts to tilt back towards the Sun, so we start to get more sunlight. The flowers start to bloom and the trees get their leaves back after a long Winter. 

This is my favorite season!

Summer: The Earth is tilted towards the Sun, providing lots of sunlight for us. 

During summer, the Earth tilts, leaning towards the Sun, which is why there is much more sunlight. Animals start coming out, and tree leaves and flowers grow.

That is so interesting! Any other information for me to know about the seasons?

Sure! During the Fall, animals start to migrate/hibernate to prepare for Winter. They start to come back during Spring. During the Fall, we also set our clocks back an hour, marking the end of daylight savings. During the Spring, we set our clocks forward an hour, marking the beginning of daylight savings. After we complete all 4 seasons, that means that we have completed a year and that the Earth has completed 1 trip around the Sun. 

Cool! Thank you so much for teaching me about the seasons. I learned so much!