Sunlight & Seasons Signs of Spring: Observations for March Today's Reminder Includes: How the Season is Changing >> Outdoor Observations for March >> Official Spring and Your Spring >> Resources to Explore >> Each seasonal change paves the way for others. What clues can you find? >> Photo: J. Gallion How the Season is Changing Worms wriggling in mucky mud, changing bird songs, fattening tree buds, frog choruses, bluebirds sipping from ice-free ponds. These are just a few of the sightings reported by sharp-eyed observers last month. What clues tell you that the season in your hometown is changing? Pay special attention to what happens to the sunlight and daylength this month. Things will change quickly! (Click on globe, below.) Outdoor Observations for March As temperatures warm and soil water rises, something cool happens to tree branches. Stay tuned! Photo: Charles Russell When you make your March observations, look and listen closely. Big changes are in store! Here are some things to pay attention to: Trees: Choose a branch and look closely at its tip. Draw what you see. Do this every week for the month. What can you learn about tree branches, leaves, and flowers? Does the weather seem to affect what happens? Birds: Listen up! What changes do you notice in bird calls, songs, and behaviors? After all, many are defending new territories and trying to impress potential mates! Insects: Keep an eye on the edges of ponds, streams, and other places where ice is melting or water is warming. Think: How might the arrival of spring insects affect migrating animals? Daylength: March 20 is a very special day: the spring equinox. Be sure to note daylength in your Signs of Spring journal, handout, or checklist on that day. (See Resources, below.) Official Spring and Your Spring! On the equinox, the sun's direct rays are over the equator. For a long time, you've noticed signs that spring is brewing. But it's official this month: Spring begins on March 20. Why then? Scientists declare it spring in the Northern Hemisphere when the direct rays of the sun are above Earth's equator. That's when the calendar says spring begins. But people have very different ideas. Some say that it's spring when the first robin appears or when they can finally go outside with no jacket. These dates will change depending where you live! What signs tell you when spring has arrived? 1) Draw or write a list. 2) Combine lists to make a class chart. What do you notice? Resources to Explore Student Journal: Signs of Spring >> Handout: Watching the Seasons Change (gr. K-3) >> Checklist: Signs of Spring (gr. 4+) >> Lesson Plan: How Do You Define Spring? >> Photo: What clues can you find? >> Report your observations! Choose the sighting or event that best fits! >> View Maps: Spring Events and Favorite Signs of Spring Tool: Sunrise/Sunset Data >> Handout: Signs of Spring: Clues About Seasonal Change >> Share: Exchange Observations with a Partner! >> Teachers: About Signs of the Seasons >> How is sunlight changing? Imagine you're in space looking at Earth on the morning of March 1. >> Phenology for April: A reminder will be posted on April 1, 2009

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