Spring is one of the four seasons Can you name the other three seasons? Summer Autumn Winter

Spring is one of the four seasons Can you name the other three seasons? Summer Autumn Winter

What do you already know about Spring? Plants grow new buds and shoots Birds make nests and lay eggs Animals come out of hibernation Insects come out of their shelter Lots of baby animals are born The air and land gets warmer

Let s look at some new buds and shoots that grow in spring New buds begin to grow on trees. The buds in this photo will grow into leaves. These buds will open up into beautiful flowers. New shoots grow up from the ground. These shoots have grown from bulbs that were planted last year.

In spring birds build nests The Treecreeper is carrying a small piece of wood for its nest. Jackdaw Birds gather material to build a nest. This Jackdaw has found some straw. Treecreeper Birds also like to put something soft in their nest. the Long Tailed Tit has a feather and the Blue Tit has found some cat fur. Blue Tit Long Tailed Tit Photographs by Jeremy Early

When the nests are built the birds lay eggs Bird nest with eggs Once the nest is built the female lays eggs and keeps them warm until the chicks are ready to hatch. Owl eggs Can you see the egg beginning to crack as the chick pushes its way out? Baby owls (owlets) The newborn chicks huddle together to keep warm while their parents look for food. Look how fluffy they are.

In spring animals come out of hibernation Do you know which animals hibernate? Hedgehogs make a nest out of dry leaves and grass. It takes several nights to build. It has to be waterproof and weatherproof, so that the temperature inside stays the same, even when it is very cold outside. They usually build their nest under brambles. Hibernation is different from sleep. When a hedgehog hibernates, its body temperature drops and its heart beat slows down from around 190 beats per minute to just 20. Its breathing almost stops altogether. It takes just one breath every few minutes. A Hedgehog As the weather gets warmer the hedgehog will come out of hibernation so look out for hedgehogs in the garden.

Did you think of any other animals that hibernate? In autumn the dormouse begins preparing for its winter hibernation by fattening up to almost twice its size on nuts and berries. When the temperature falls below 15 degrees Celsius the dormouse begins to slow down. It finds a secure, dry place to build a nest. During hibernation its heart beat and breathing slows right down. Its body temperature drops to only a few degrees above freezing. In spring when the weather begins to get warmer the dormouse comes out of hibernation. A Dormouse

Bats also hibernate These bats are hibernating Two useful websites: A Year in the Life of a Bat BBC website with bat video A bat's heartbeat drops from 400 beats per minute to around 20 beats per minute during hibernation. As soon as the weather gets warmer the bats come out of hibernation. So if you see a bat in March then you know you have spotted one of the signs of Spring.

Did you also know frogs hibernate? Frogs bury themselves in mud at the bottom of the pond or in burrows. They also come out of hibernation when the weather gets warmer. The website Garden Safari has lots of information about frogs. There is a lot to read on there so you might want to take your time. If you click on the photos you can enlarge them. There is also a sound button so you can hear the frogs croaking. You may also want to check out FROG for even more interesting facts.

Insects begin to appear Many insects shelter in a warm place over the winter. They shelter in the soil, under logs, under rocks, in fallen leaves, near windowsills or in attics. They come out when the weather gets warmer in spring.

Spring is a time when lots of baby animals are born Can you remember the names of these baby animals? A baby chicken is called a chick A baby sheep is called a lamb Photograph courtesy of http://sustainablegrub.wordpress.com A baby rabbit is called a kitten.

Lets remind ourselves of what we have learned about spring New leaves, buds and flowers appear on the trees Birds make nests and lay eggs Animals come out of hibernation Insects come out of their shelters Baby animals are born The land, air and water gets warmer because the earth orbits the sun

Now you can go and look for some signs of spring!