Page 61: How we learn our seasons, a season song

 Page 61: How we learn our seasons, a season song.

In EYFS, throughout the year, we weave between the 4 seasons. Doing so creates a plethora of hands on exploration and learning experience for the children, in a fun and practical manner in support of them knowing more to remember more. 

When I was consider my pedagogy for teaching this area of the curriculum for EYFS pupils, in addition to the obvious practical experience, exploring real items from the seasons, taking ourselves on a season walk to see these changes in action and documenting by comparative photographs, I took myself back to an area that I ended up researching heavily when writing my dissertation. I decided to write a song. Research indicated that the use of repetition, rhyming and prosody, three key elements of most nursery rhymes/songs supports the children engaging, knowing and remembering key learning in addition to it being enjoyable/fun. I was able to draw the connection to my research which focussed on early speech/reading to support my pedagogical decision.

There is so much content that we could teach out children about seasons and changes throughout the year. I decided to make the manageable and to set the children up for success, to focus on 4 elements of each seasons, drawing comparisons to each song.

Selecting the familiar tune of to the wheels on the bus, taking advantage of the tune and repetition this aided learning and retainment greatly. 

Below I will share my 4 songs. Feel free to share my blog and use these with you pupils!

Autumn

The leaves on the trees and tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling down, the leaves on the trees are tumbling down, in autumn time.

The twigs and the branches are dry and snap, dry and snap, dry and snap the twigs and the branches are dry and snap, in autumn time.

We put our hoods up because it’s pouring with rain, pouring with rain. Pouring with rain, we put our hoods up because it’s pouring with rain, in autumn time.

We put our hats on because it’s cold outside, cold outside, cold outside we put our hats on because it’s cold outside, in autumn time. 

Winter

The leaves from the trees have fallen on the ground, fallen on the ground, fallen on the ground the leaves from the trees have fallen on the ground, in winter time.

The ice on the ground is slippy and cold, slippy and cold, slippy and cold the ice on the ground is slippy and cold, in winter time.

The rain freezes and it turns to snow, turns to snow, turns to snow the rain freezes and it turns to snow, in winter time.

We wear warm clothes because it’s cold outside, cold outside, cold outside we wear warm clothes on because it’s cold outside, in winter time. 

Spring 

The leaves on the trees start to grow again, grow again, grow again, the leaves on the trees start to grow again in Spring time.

The flowers blossom and they start to grow, start to grow, start to grow, the flowers blossom and they start to grow in Spring time.

The days get longer and we see more sun, see more sun, see more sun, the days get longer and we see more sun, in Springtime.

The animals awaken from their hibernation, hibernation, hibernation, the animal awaken from their hibernation, in Springtime. 

Summer

The leaves on the trees are blowing in the breeze, blowing in the breeze, blowing in the breese, the leaves on the trees are blowing in the breeze, in Summertime.

The flowers have  blossomed and the bee’s collect pollen, bee’s collect pollen, bee’s collect pollen, the flowers have blossomed and the bee’s collect pollen, in Summertime.

The sun is shining so we must wear suncream, must wear suncream, must wear suncream, the sun is shining so we must wear suncream, in Summertime.

We wear sun hats because it’s hot outside, hot outside, hot outside, we wear sun hats because it’s hot outside, in Summertime.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blogs and the insight to why I have wrote this songs and taught in this way. This term, I am looking forward to sharing the Spring and Summer song with the children and continue this learning through song alongside their comparative season walk. 

Following on from my connections to my dissertation research and the importance of making the correct pedagogical decsion when teaching early speech/reading that underpins all topic work such as seasons:

"Rhymers will be readers: it's that simple" Mem Fox.

- Miss Yeoman