Year 1 Science: Plants and animals change with the seasons
Part of the Year 1 Science seasons and weather chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Plants and animals change with the seasons
Plants and animals change with the seasons. In spring, trees grow new leaves, and flowers such as daffodils come up. In summer, trees have full, green leaves. In autumn, the leaves of many trees turn yellow, orange or brown, and then they fall off. In winter, trees such as oak have no leaves. Holly and pine keep their green leaves and needles all year.
Animals change too. Lambs are often born in spring. Frogs lay frogspawn in spring. Swallows fly to warmer places in autumn. Hedgehogs sleep through the winter.
Key ideas
- In spring, trees grow new leaves and flowers come up.
- In summer, trees have full, green leaves.
- In autumn, many leaves change colour and fall off.
- In winter, some trees are bare. Holly and pine stay green.
- Hedgehogs hibernate: they sleep through the cold winter months.
Method. Think about when daffodils come up and flower.
- Find the flower. Daffodils are yellow flowers that grow in many gardens.daffodil
- Think about when it flowers. Daffodils come up and flower after the winter, when the days get warmer.daffodil: flowers in spring
- Write the answer. spring
Check. Daffodils are one of the first flowers of the year. ✓
Watch out. Sunflowers flower in summer, so they are not the answer here.
Method. Think about what happens to oak leaves over the year.
- Look at the oak in autumn. The leaves change colour, for example to yellow or brown.yellow or brown leaves
- Think about what happens next. Oak leaves fall off the tree, so the tree is bare in winter.leaves fall off
- Write the answer. The leaves change colour and fall off.
Check. In spring, the new leaves come back. ✓
Watch out. Oak trees lose their leaves. Holly trees keep their green leaves all year.
Method. Think about the season when frogs lay their eggs.
- Think about frogspawn. Frogspawn is the jelly of eggs that frogs lay in ponds.frogspawn in a pond
- Think about the season. Frogs lay frogspawn in early spring, while the pond is still cold.early spring
- Write the answer. spring
Check. Frogspawn turns into tadpoles, and then into frogs. ✓
Watch out. Do not touch frogspawn with your hands. Look at it from the side of the pond with a grown-up.
Watch out
Watch out: not every tree loses its leaves. Oak and sycamore lose their leaves in autumn, but holly and pine stay green all year.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Go for a walk with your child and look at the trees. Ask: “Are the leaves green, yellow, or gone?” Wash your hands after touching plants or soil.
Try it at home
- Go for a walk in a park or garden, with a grown-up.
- Choose one tree to watch. Look at its leaves. Are they green, yellow, brown or gone?
- Do the same walk once a month. Did the tree change?
- Do not pick leaves or flowers. Wash your hands after touching plants or soil.
Exercise 9B Plants and animals through the year
Method. Think about the season when a tree starts to grow again.
- Think about the season after winter. Trees start to grow new leaves after the cold winter.after winter
- Find the season. The season after winter is spring.spring
- Write the answer. spring
Check. In spring, the buds open into new leaves. ✓
Watch out. Full, green leaves come later, in summer.
Method. Think about the leaves in the warmest part of the year.
- Think about full leaves. The leaves are full and green in the warm months.full and green
- Find the season. The warm months are summer.summer
- Write the answer. summer
Check. In autumn, the leaves start to change colour. ✓
Watch out. Spring leaves are new and light green. Summer leaves are full and dark green.
Method. Think about when leaves change colour.
- Think about the colour of leaves. Leaves turn yellow, orange or brown before they fall.yellow, orange or brown
- Find the season. Leaves change colour in autumn.autumn
- Write the answer. autumn
Check. The leaves then fall, and the tree is bare in winter. ✓
Watch out. Spring is when leaves start, so it is not the answer.
Method. Think about which tree loses its leaves.
- Think about the sycamore. A sycamore loses its leaves in autumn.sycamore: loses leaves
- Think about the pine. A pine is an evergreen tree. It keeps its green needles all year.pine: green all year
- Write the answer. pine
Check. Evergreen trees stay green in winter. ✓
Watch out. Pine trees have needles, not broad leaves, but the needles stay green.
Method. Think about the season each flower grows in.
- Think about the daffodil. Daffodils flower in spring.daffodil: spring
- Think about the sunflower. Sunflowers grow tall and flower in summer.sunflower: summer
- Write the answer. daffodil
Check. Daffodils are yellow and often come up in gardens in spring. ✓
Watch out. Sunflowers are tall and bright, but they come later in the year.
Method. Think about when a new lamb is born on a farm.
- Think about the babies. Many lambs are born in the early months of the year.lambs in early year
- Find the season. The early months of the year are spring.spring
- Write the answer. spring
Check. A lamb grows into a sheep. ✓
Watch out. Lambs are not born in the middle of the summer.
Method. Think about which animal flies.
- Think about the animal that flies. A swallow is a bird, and it can fly.swallow: a bird
- Think about winter. Swallows fly away to warmer places before winter, and come back in spring.swallows fly away in autumn
- Write the answer. swallow
Check. A hedgehog walks on the ground. It does not fly. ✓
Watch out. A hedgehog sleeps through winter instead of flying away.
Method. Think about how hedgehogs survive the cold.
- Think about winter. In the cold winter, there is less food for a hedgehog.less food in winter
- Think about what a hedgehog does. A hedgehog hibernates. It sleeps through the cold months.hibernates
- Write the answer. True
Check. Hedgehogs wake up in spring and look for food again. ✓
Watch out. Hibernating means sleeping through the cold, not just being quiet.
Method. Think about when frogs lay frogspawn.
- Think about the clue. Frogs lay frogspawn in ponds in early spring.frogspawn in early spring
- Find the season. Early spring is the season when frogs lay their eggs.spring
- Write the answer. spring
Check. Frogspawn turns into tadpoles, and then into frogs. ✓
Watch out. Frogspawn is laid in spring, not in winter.
Method. Think about when swallows fly away.
- Think about the clue. Swallows fly away to warmer places before winter.fly away before winter
- Find the season. The season before winter is autumn.autumn
- Write the answer. autumn
Check. Swallows come back to the UK in spring. ✓
Watch out. Swallows leave in autumn and come back in spring.
Method. Think about when hedgehogs sleep.
- Think about the clue. Hedgehogs hibernate, and sleep through the cold months.asleep through cold months
- Find the season. The cold months are in winter.winter
- Write the answer. winter
Check. Hedgehogs wake up in spring. ✓
Watch out. Hibernating animals sleep through winter.
Method. Think about the leaves in summer.
- Think about summer. Summer is warm and the leaves are full.full leaves
- Compare with what Ravi said. Ravi said there are no leaves, but trees such as oak have full leaves in summer.leaves in summer
- Write the answer. No. Most trees have full, green leaves in summer.
Check. Trees that lose their leaves get new ones in spring, so they are full in summer. ✓
Watch out. Trees that lose their leaves are bare in winter, but they are full in summer.
Method. Make a prediction, then plan a way to test it.
- Make a prediction. Oak leaves change colour in autumn, and then fall.colour changes, leaves fall
- Plan a test. Look at the same tree each week, and write down what you see.same tree, every week
- Write the answer. The leaves change colour and fall off. We check the same tree each week.
Check. Keep a simple record: week 1, week 2, week 3. ✓
Watch out. Use the same tree each time, so you can compare what you see.