How Does Seasons and the Sun: Crash Course Kids 11.1 Work?

The Earth goes around the Sun, and that’s why we have seasons!

Imagine you're sitting on a swing, when you go forward, it's like summer; when you come back, it's like winter. The Earth is kind of like that swing, but instead of being pushed by someone, it moves because of gravity. As the Earth goes around the Sun, sometimes we’re tilted toward the Sun, and sometimes we're tilted away, just like how a swing tilts forward and backward.

When one part of the Earth is tilted toward the Sun, that part gets more sunlight, it’s warmer, so we say it's summer there. The other side is tilted away from the Sun, so it gets less light, it’s cooler, so we call it winter.

But wait! The Earth isn’t just going around the Sun like a perfect circle, it also spins on its side as it goes around. That tilt is why different parts of the world get summer and winter at different times.

Think about your favorite toy spinning in circles, sometimes you see one side, sometimes the other. The Earth does something similar, but with seasons instead of toys!