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Does anyone have any fun lesson plans on how to teach seasons to 3rd graders?

Do a search for this article from Science and Children for a fun lesson. "Science Shorts: The Reasons for the Seasons". I did a search for "seasons" and came up with lots of ideas for lessons. Just type "seasons" in the Search box in the upper right corner of the Learning Center.

I did a really cool activity with the students on seasons. You first would model it as the teacher. Get a globe and stand at the front of the classroom and have a student hold a flashlight towards the globe. Then you would move around as you show the students where the light is hitting and what part is getting direct and indirect sunlight. As you do that make sure you have the front of the classroom as summer and keep it as summer throughout. Make sure you always tell the students that the axis is facing the back of the classroom and at each point around the classroom point that out. Then get four students up to the four seasons in the classroom. Have them walk to the next point and tell them to act their season out. Then students can talk about what season it is and the weather. The students really liked being the Earth in the four seasons. This was a forth grade class.

Lindsay - Great kinesthetic lesson. What do you think of hanging a large star in the back of the room to represent Polaris, the North Star? Too much at this age?

Hay, thank you! I would think that it might be to much at this age. If you wanted to try it then I would see about trying it after the students grasp the seasons. Not before or during because that might confuse them or cause a misconception.