3rd - Reasons For the Seasons

It's fun to combine a little treat with a some learning and that's what we did with our "earthmallows".

The third grade used marshmallows to represent the earth. We drew the Equator, the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn using food coloring.

Then we used our earthmallows to show how the earth's 23 1/2 degree tile is the "reason for the seasons".

When the north pole is tilted towards the sun, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, when the north pole is tilted away from the sun, it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Ask you student what the season in San Jose is when the North Pole is pointed away from the sun.

If there wasn't a tilt, we would have much less variability in our weather.