Science Common Sense

8 - Why do we have seasons?

The Earth rotates on its side as it moves around the Sun. This means that different parts of the Earth get different amounts of sunlight throughout the year.

Imagine you're holding a flashlight and shining it on a ball. If the ball is straight in front of the flashlight, it gets a lot of light. But if you tilt the ball, the light shines on it at an angle, and it gets less light.

That's what's happening with the Earth and the Sun. When the part of the Earth where you live is tilted towards the Sun, you get more sunlight and it's warmer (summer). When it's tilted away, you get less sunlight and it's colder (winter). The times in between are spring and fall.