Change Over Time

             A few weeks ago in Social Studies class, we were discussing how to teach time continuity and change over time to young children, primarily in grades PK-2. To get a better understanding of the topic, we went outside on a beautiful October Thursday to document and take pictures of the changing leaves and trees. Being from Louisiana, I never get to actually see the different seasons as our weather tends to be mostly hot and humid with cold days here and there in the winter; it is amazing to witness a distinct four seasons for once living here in South Bend. The leaves were a beautiful mixture of red, orange, brown, and green and some were even decorating the ground. You can see this in the pictures below.

              Seeing the seasons change, as fall does with leaf colors, is a good way to teach children that things change over time. For example, we dress accordingly to the weather and change the activities that we participate in. In the winter we wear coats, hats, and gloves, bundling ourselves as much as possible. In the summer time we were shorts and t-shirts and go swimming often. By having young children see the change in front of them, they are able to get a better understanding of the cycle that our surroundings and we, too, go through all the time. In class, we talked about how young children view history as immediate time. By giving them the opportunity to participate in a hands-on, relevant, and meaningful activity where they are able to observe and analyze, say leaves changing in the fall, they will be able to get a better understanding of the process of change over time.