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4 Seasons Life Cycle Activity

  • Science & STEM
  • Sensory Play
  • Grades 4-5
  • Grades 6-8
  • Grades 1-3

Kids will have fun learning about the cycle of the 4 seasons with this interactive art activity using paper plates!

Materials


  • Paint Brushes Triangle Handle
  • Watercolor Paint Palette
  • 2 Paper Plates
  • Cardstock
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Brass Fastener
  • Craft Glue
printDownload Template

Instructions


Step 1. Gather your supplies.

 

 

Step 2.

 

Download, print and paint your four seasons template. To download our free printable template, click the “TEMPLATE” button underneath the picture for this craft.

 

Step 3.

 

Cut out the painted oval pictures.  Place one oval picture on a paper plate, positioning as shown. Trace around the picture.

 

Step 4.

 

Have an adult help cut out the traced oval.

 

Step 5.

 

Place the cut paper plate on top of another paper plate and trace the hole.

 

Step 6.

 

Rotate the cut plate 45 degrees to the right and trace the hole again, as shown.

 

Step 7.

 

Rotate the cut plate 2 more times, tracing the hole each rotation. You will have traced 4 ovals, around the plate, as shown. We will use this as a guide to set up the interactive wheel.

 

Step 8.

 

Glue the pictures to the plate, using the traced ovals as a guide for placement.  Start with the winter theme at the top, followed by spring, summer and fall.  All of the pictures should be pointed toward the center of the plate, as shown.

 

Step 9.

 

Place the plate with the hole on top of the plate with the designs. Have an adult make a small hole in the middle of both plates and attach the 2 plates together with the brad.

 

Step 10.

 

You can now spin the top plate so that the pictures of each season appear in the hole in chronological order.

 

Step 11.

 

Paint and decorate the plate with stickers to complete.

 

Tip: Use this same construction of an interactive wheel to create other educational crafts, such as the life cycle of a plant, butterfly or water.

 


Explore the life cycle one stage at a time with an interactive paper plate craft!

  • Decorate for Science: Design the front plate to represent every season and give every spin a unique touch. Use sparkly green glitter glue to create summer leaves, add snow sequins and foam flowers, even brown fuzzy stick autumn trees!      
  • Spin & Quiz: Test your students’ science skills with the finished wheel! Turn it to a specific season and quiz your students on what takes place in that season: “What happens to the leaves in the fall?” “Why do we see snow in the winter?” “What makes the seasons change every year?”

What else are your students learning about in environmental science? Use this plate craft to illustrate other life cycles too. Design the different stages of a plant’s life, a butterfly’s growth pattern, or even the water cycle!