What is fall?
Some people use the word Autumn for Fall. Fall or Autumn is one of the four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Autumn is the season between Summer and Winter. The season when children go back to school is unofficial end of summer and beginning of the Fall. Seasonal colors are red, yellow, orange, brown, and black.
What happens in fall/autumn?
Fall is always associating with leaves changing their color. They change to red, yellow, orange, and brown before fall to the ground.
Deciduous and Evergreens are two types of trees. Deciduous tree leaves change color, but Evergreens do not. Christmas trees are evergreens.
Why do the leaves change color and drop from the trees?
If we prefer to reply in simplest way – the lack of food and water will be the answer. If we go to the details, we can explain to the little ones that leaves contain chlorophyll which makes the leaves green. They also contain xanthophyll which makes the leaves look yellow and carotene which makes the leaves look orange. The leaves are green during the Spring and Summer because of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis process is how the leaf gets food and water and made oxygen.
And the chlorophyll gets light from the sun and water from the ground, turns it into food, and stores it in the leaf. Chlorophyll cannot get enough light from the sun needed to make food during the Autumn season. That is the reason why leaf starts to lose chlorophyll and its green color. Then yellow and orange colors start to show in the leaf and by time all the stored food is used up the leaf dies, turns brown, and falls from the tree.
What do animals do during fall?
Some animals start preparing for Winter during Fall by making their homes ready for cold winter weather. Other ones, like bears, prepare their body by eating more and collecting body fat for the winter season or start to grow thicker coats (hair/fur) to keep them warm during the colder weather.
Also, some animals such as squirrels collect more food and store it in their homes, so they have enough for the Winter. And birds will start to get ready to fly south for the winter not to det cold when weather changes to colder.
Which activities and traditions we can experience in fall?
The Fall season is full on holidays and activities. People are celebrating Thanksgiving Day and Halloween, going to pick up pumpkins and apples, visiting local farms and harvest festivals. It is always a good idea to check activities around and enjoy Fall family time together.
SOURCE:
What Happens in Fall? Fall Facts for Kids – Kids Play and Create