Here Comes the Summer
Celebrates the arrival of summer
by Becky May
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To celebrate summer and mark the changing of the seasons.
Preparation and materials
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Frozen: In summer - Disney sing-along’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.50 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/ZPe71yr73Jk
- You may also need a Bible for the ‘Time for reflection’ part of the assembly.
Assembly
- Welcome the children to the assembly.
Ask them to think about the weather today. Ask them what the weather has been like this week. What season does it feel like today? - Explain to the children that 21 June marks the start of summer. Explain that as we begin our summer in the northern hemisphere, winter begins in the southern hemisphere.
- Show the YouTube video ‘Frozen: In summer - Disney sing-along’ (1.50 minutes long).
You could perhaps invite the children to sing along.
Talk briefly about Olaf’s understanding and expectations of summer, and how he was in for a shock! - Ask the children what they enjoy about summertime; what are they looking forward to doing this summer?
Take some time to talk about their favourite memories and plans for this summer.
Listen to a range of responses. - Share a favourite summer memory of your own, encouraging the children to see that it doesn’t have to be about big holidays or expensive days out. Some of the most beautiful summer experiences can be very simple.
- Remind the children that summer is more than just the summer holidays; we can and may already have begun our summer activities.
Ask the children what special things happen in school in the summer months that they particularly look forward to or enjoy together.
Listen to a range of responses. - Ask the children what ideas they have about what they will do this summer. Perhaps they might like to write a summer bucket list of things that they would like to do.
Listen to a range of responses. - Now ask the children how they will record what they get up to. Could they keep a summer scrapbook perhaps? Take some photos? Create a video?
Time for reflection
Optional: explain to the children that Christians believe that God created the seasons, as he created all of life. In summer, we see the ‘fruit’ of creation as plants reach the fullness of their life. As the seasons change, we are reminded that life changes and moves on from one phase to another.
Explain that in the Bible, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, it says, ‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.’ (Ecclesiastes 3.1)
Share some examples from the verses that follow this passage about the different seasons or phases, perhaps reading the verses or just summarizing.
Invite the children to make themselves really quiet, and take some time to think about what season of life they are in right now. Is it a good season, like summer perhaps? Or is it a colder season that has hard things to deal with? What things do they want to celebrate? What things would they like help with?
Remind the children that they can talk about any of the things that they have thought about this morning, after the assembly.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for your creation;
For the changing seasons and for the summer that we can enjoy together.
Thank you that you are with us in every season of life.
We ask you to help us as we walk through difficult seasons.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Summertime’ (from Here Comes Summer!, Out of the Ark Music), available at: https://www.outoftheark.co.uk/here-comes-summer.html
‘What time is it?’ from the film High School Musical 2, available at: https://youtu.be/x42aPmtnVDg (3.39 minutes long)
Extension activities
- Create a summer-themed display in a shared area: gather some summer-themed books for children to look at, display summer-themed poetry and phrases, and collate some photos and quotes from members of the school community that celebrate summer memories.
- Over the summer term, compile a class scrapbook that contains photos and brief reports that the children have written about special activities and events that you mark together. This could be passed up to the children’s next teacher to aid with transition.
