So, what season is it exactly now?  Here in MN if you went by the weather, you could guess spring during a week of mid-50s and even 60 degree weather where kids are biking when they would usually be able to throw rocks into the early morning ice that has formed on ponds. Chronologically it is fall, but an iced tea sounds better to drink than hot cocoa.

Officially winter starts on December 21 and the Winter Solstice,but for much of the US the season has already seemed winter for far longer than that.  Snow will blanket the ground and with plans of Christmas a few days later, most kids would have a hard time calling December 20th Autumn.

This change of season is a wonderful opportunity to speak to your kids about the concept of seasonal change and the process of the earth turning from summer to autumn to winter and what they can notice in the natural world around them.

If you are talking a walk with your children there are certain obvious changes that you can see-- the leaves changing color and dropping to the ground and the air feeling cooler.  If you are playing in the park you can look at the flower beds that were once full of colorful blooms, but now are empty or full of withered stems. Another interesting change is the absence of bugs that your little ones were earlier able to catch and study.  To where have they disappeared?  One of my favorite finds has been the wonderful "My Weather Station" freebie from Mr. Printables.  This wonderful little weather station allows kids to track the daily weather in their area and is free to download, as is the site's other digital freebies, like their collection of Earth flashcards, that feature some weather and climate elements.

With older children, or for those smaller ones that love to talk (this might be all little ones) this idea can be taken a bit farther.  As parents and caregivers we can guide our children into further looking around to notice other differences.  Are the birds and other animals in your area behaving the same, and are these even the same animals that were here in the warmer months? The concept of migration is just one of many ideas that these talks can prompt.

So, when does Winter begin to you?  Is it a date, an event like the first snowfall?  Or is it tied to some personal life event?