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There’s a quiet wonder in watching one season gently give way to another. Snow softens. Colors return. Tiny details begin to shift. This read-aloud invites students to slow down, look closely, and notice how change happens little by little. Today I’m sharing how to use Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak** to explore seasonal transitions, observation skills, and descriptive thinking through art and journaling.
“Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring” Overview
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring follows a young child as they walk through a winter landscape that slowly transforms into spring. Along the way, readers notice melting snow, budding plants, returning animals, and warming sunlight.
With gentle text and soft illustrations, this book is perfect for helping students understand that change doesn’t always happen all at once. Sometimes, it happens quietly, step by step.
Read-Aloud Lesson Plan: Noticing Seasonal Change
Objective: Students will identify signs of winter and spring and describe how people, plants, and animals change with the seasons.
Pre-Reading
Show the cover and invite predictions.
Questions to Ask:
- What season do you think the story starts in?
- What clues do you see?
- What do you already know about winter and spring?
During Reading
Pause to notice changes in setting and details.
Questions to Ask:
- What signs show winter is ending?
- What new things appear as spring begins?
- What stays the same even when seasons change?
- How does the setting change throughout the book?
Encourage students to point out small details in illustrations.
Post Reading
Reflect on similarities, differences, and patterns.
Questions to Ask:
- How is spring different from winter?
- What is your favorite sign of spring?
- Why do seasons change?
- How do people, plants, and animals prepare for spring?
Grab these free resources to make your teaching life easier!
🌸 Spring Acrostic Poem for Kids – Creative Poetry Writing Activity
In this activity, students will explore poetry through acrostic poems while celebrating the sights, sounds, and feelings of spring. They’ll brainstorm spring vocabulary, connect words to personal experiences, and create a poem where each letter in the word SPRING (or another spring-themed word) begins a descriptive line.
This low-prep activity builds creativity, vocabulary, and early poetry skills while giving students a joyful way to express what spring means to them.
Materials Needed:
- Writing paper or planning sheets
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
- Chart paper for brainstorming
- Large construction paper
- (optional) Spring acrostic poem template
- (optional) Spring word bank
- (optional) Spring-themed stickers or craft supplies
- (optional) Spring Acrostic Poem writing resource
Instructions:
- Introduce Acrostic Poetry: Explain to students that an acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of each line spells a word vertically. Share an example using the word SPRING, and model how each line describes something about spring (weather, nature, animals, activities, or feelings).
- Brainstorm Spring Ideas: As a class, brainstorm words and phrases connected to spring. Think about:
- Weather (sunny, rainy, breezy)
- Nature (flowers, grass, trees, buds)
- Animals (birds, butterflies, bees)
- Activities (playing outside, gardening, picnics)
- Feelings (happy, hopeful, calm)
- Record ideas on chart paper. If using the Spring Acrostic Poem writing resource, give students the brainstorm sheet to record ideas.
- Plan the Acrostic Poem: Have students write the word SPRING (or another spring word such as FLOWER, BLOOM, or RAIN) vertically on their planning sheet.
- Students choose a word or phrase for each letter that describes spring. Encourage descriptive language and sensory details (what they see, hear, smell, and feel).
- Draft the Poem: Students write one line for each letter, forming a complete acrostic poem. Remind them that poems don’t need to rhyme, but they should make sense and connect to the theme of spring.
- Write the Final Poem: Once drafts are complete, students publish their poems in their best handwriting. Encourage them to add a title.
- Illustrate the Poem: Students draw spring-themed illustrations around or beneath their poem. They may add color, stickers, or small craft elements to bring their poem to life.
- Assembling the Writing Activity: Glue the final poem onto the right side of a large construction paper. Students decorate the front flap with spring drawings and a title. When folded, it becomes a poetry “book.”
- Spring Poetry Showcase: Host a Spring Poetry Gallery Walk where students display their poems. Classmates walk around, read poems, and leave positive comments or compliments.
Differentiation:
- For Emerging Writers:
- Provide a word bank with spring vocabulary.
- Allow students to dictate ideas to an adult or partner.
- Use sentence starters (e.g., “S is for…”)
- For On-Level Writers:
- Encourage students to use adjectives and sensory details.
- Ask students to explain their word choices orally or in writing.
- For Advanced Writers:
- Invite students to write acrostics using longer spring words (BUTTERFLY, GARDEN, RAINBOW).
- Challenge students to include figurative language such as similes or personification.
- Encourage writing a second acrostic poem with a different word.
- For Multilingual Learners:
- Pair with a partner for brainstorming.
- Provide picture-supported word banks.
- Allow use of home language first, then translate with support.
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Bonus Wrap-Up Activity: Spring Nature Journal:
Students keep a simple journal for one week.
Each Day Includes:
- One drawing of something noticed outside
- One sentence about what they observed
🧩 Differentiation
- Drawing Only
- Sentence Frames
- Small Group Sharing Circles
Final Thoughts
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring helps students see that change is natural, gentle, and full of beauty when we take time to notice.
I’d love to see your Before & After Spring Pictures and Nature Journals! Tag me on Instagram @LittleYellowStarTeaches so I can celebrate your seasonal observers.
Here’s to fresh beginnings and curious eyes. ❄️🌷
Prima at LittleYellowStar
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