Sky and seasons
Why we have day and night, told with a small 3D Earth your child turns; today's weather, told by your child and kept as a week's chart; and what the animals and plants are doing in each Australian season.
Day and Night
A calm 3D Earth, lit by the Sun, turning slowly. Your child taps Next for each idea, and taps Turn the Earth to send Australia round into the night and back into the day. With calm motion (in Ways to play, or your device's reduced-motion setting) it turns very slowly and jumps rather than swoops; the lighter 3D setting draws less, for older phones. It uses no outside service: the Earth's map comes from Natural Earth (public domain) and is drawn on this site.
- This is the Earth, our home. It spins all the time, slowly, slowly. (NASA)
- The side facing the Sun has day. The side facing away has night. (NASA)
- Here's Australia, where we live! Tap Turn the Earth.
- The Sun looks like it moves across the sky, because the Earth is turning. (NASA StarChild)
- One whole turn takes one day and one night: twenty-four hours. (NASA)
- Half of the Earth always has day, and the other half has night. (NASA)
- The Earth goes all the way round the Sun. One trip takes a whole year. (NASA)
- The Earth is a little bit tilted. That tilt gives us our seasons. (Bureau of Meteorology)
- In December, our half of the Earth leans towards the Sun. It's summer! (Bureau of Meteorology)
Today's weather, and the week's chart
Your child looks outside and taps what they see: sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, hot or cold (as many as fit). Each has a tip. There's no weather service, so nothing leaves your device. The week's chart prints on one page, and shows in My Roo Journal. The last eight weeks are kept, on this device only.
- Sunny: Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat! (Cancer Council)
- Cloudy: Clouds are made of tiny drops of water. (Bureau of Meteorology)
- Rainy: A raincoat and gumboots keep you dry.
- Windy: Hold on to your hat!
- Hot: Find some shade, and drink lots of water. (Cancer Council)
- Cold: Put on a warm jumper and a beanie.
The seasons
The Australian seasons, opening on the one it is now (the home page's sky changes with it too), with what the animals and plants are doing.
Summer
Summer is December, January and February: the warmest months. (Bureau of Meteorology)
- Frogs call more after rain, in spring and summer. (Australian Museum)
- At the end of summer, baby platypuses come out of their burrow. (Australian Museum)
- In spring and summer, koalas move around more, looking for a mate. (Queensland Government)
Autumn
Autumn comes after summer: March, April and May. (Bureau of Meteorology)
- In autumn, flying foxes look for a mate. (Wildlife Victoria (Victorian Government))
- Tasmanian devils find a mate in late summer and autumn. (Tasmanian Government)
- Baby possums are usually born in May and June. (NSW Environment and Heritage)
Winter
Winter is June, July and August: the coolest months. (Bureau of Meteorology)
- In winter, echidnas walk in a line called an echidna train. (SA Department for Environment and Water)
- In winter, emu dads sit on their eggs for many weeks. (Australian Museum)
- Blue-tongue lizards rest in a safe, warm place over winter. (SA Department for Environment and Water)
Spring
Spring comes after winter: September, October and November. (Bureau of Meteorology)
- Golden wattle flowers in September. Wattle Day is the first of September. (Prime Minister and Cabinet)
- Waratahs flower from September to November. (Australian National Botanic Gardens)
- Flying fox mums have their babies in spring. (Wildlife Victoria (Victorian Government))
Away from the screen
Keep a weather chart on the fridge for a week. At dusk, stand facing the setting Sun and talk about how the Earth is turning you away from it.
What it practises
- Day and night. Why we have day and night: the Earth turns, and goes round the Sun. A Year 2 outcome, so a gentle early start.
AC9S2U01 (Science, Year 2) - Weather and seasons. Noticing the weather each day and how it changes with the seasons, and what to wear for it.
AC9S1U02 (Science, Year 1)
What it costs, and what we collect
Nothing, and nothing. The weather your child tells is kept on your own device and never sent anywhere.