The spring equinox was the occasion for an interactive lesson about the seasons.
We began with the phenomenon itself: at the equinox, day equals night. Then we explained where the seasons come from — from the tilt of the Earth's axis and the planet's movement around the Sun. This is also where the commonest confusion at this age gets cleared up: many children are convinced that summer is warm because the Earth moves closer to the Sun. With a tilted globe and a light source, the correct explanation becomes visible in a matter of seconds, and the idea that rays fall more directly or more obliquely turns into something you can show rather than merely state.
We also explored the differences between equinoxes and solstices, two words that sound alike and are easily muddled if they stay confined to a textbook. And we talked about the difference between astronomical and meteorological seasons — the reason spring "begins" on different dates depending on who is announcing it.
The activity went on with discussions about the changes in nature and how the seasons shape our everyday lives, with educational games and experiments about the Earth's motion.
Astronomy and natural science become captivating at exactly the point where a child can check for themselves what they have been told.