The End of Daylight Saving Time is Near…for this year
This coming Saturday night is the end of Daylight Saving Time for this year in North America. I’m excited to turn the clocks back one hour because it means the sunrise will be earlier in the day. As someone who gets up at 5am or earlier every day and lives in a northern latitude, I […]
Lessons to Answer Common Questions About Fall
Yesterday morning my youngest daughter and I were walking one of our dogs when she asked a question that her older sister asked a couple of years ago. That question was, “why do we have fall?” I did my best to explain it to her (she’s four, five next month) in terms that she could […]
2022 Fall Foliage Prediction Map – And Why Leaves Change Color in the Fall
The 2022 Fall Foliage Prediction Map is a feature of the SmokyMountains.com website. The map displays a week-by-week prediction of when leaves in the continental United States will be changing colors from now through the end of November. You can see the predictions change by moving the timeline at the bottom of the map. On the same […]
The 2021 Fall Foliage Map – And Explanations of Why Leaves Change Colors
The 2021 Fall Foliage Prediction Map is a feature of the SmokyMountains.com website. The map displays a week-by-week prediction of when leaves in the continental United States will be changing colors from now through the end of November. You can see the predictions change by moving the timeline at the bottom of the map. On […]
Resources for Teaching and Learning About Fall
It’s the first day of September and even though Autumn doesn’t really start for a few more weeks, I’m already excited for the arrival of my favorite season of the year. The heat and humidity of summer are gone, the leaves on the trees are the prettiest they’ll be all year, and I’ve always felt […]
“Why Do We Have Fall?” – A Post Inspired by My Daughter
“Why do we have fall?” That was the question that my four year old asked while we were walking in the woods yesterday. It was a good question (she’s full of good questions these days) and I tried my best to explain that different times of the year have more or less sunlight which […]
Resources for Teaching and Learning About the Colorful Leaves of Fall
Autumn is my favorite time of year. So much so that I wanted to name my younger daughter Autumn (vetoed by her mother). The crisp air, the smells of apple harvest, the colors of spawning brook trout, and the colors of leaves are just a few things that I enjoy about fall. All that to […]
Fall Back! – Lessons on the End of Daylight Saving Time
Fall is full of great things like colorful leaves, fresh apple pies, and Halloween candy! But there is one thing that I don’t like about fall in Maine. That is the lack of sunlight in the morning. As I write this at 6:37am it is still dark outside and I have to leave for school […]
2019 Fall Foliage Map – And Why Leaves Change Color
The 2019 Fall Foliage Prediction Map is a feature of the SmokyMountains.com website. The map displays a week-by-week prediction of when leaves in the continental United States will be changing colors from now through the end of November. You can see the predictions change by moving the timeline at the bottom of the map. On […]
It’s That Time Again – Why Leaves Change Color in the Fall
There are some trees in my neighborhood whose leaves always start to change color earlier than the rest. I noticed them this morning as I drove down my road. And when I got home I noticed one in my backyard was starting to develop some red leaves too. That means it’s time for my annual […]
Three Lessons About Why Leaves Change Color
Every autumn people tour Maine just to see the leaves changing color. Seeing the leaves change is one of my favorite things about the fall too. Here are three good videos that explain why leaves change color in the fall. Untamed Science offers a good, partially animated, explanation of why leaves change colors, what produces the colors, and […]
Autumn Timelapse – Updated for 2017
At about this time a few years ago I was walking in the woods with my dogs when I got the idea for a timelapse of autumn video project. The idea was to take one picture every day to document the changes in the foliage as we progress through autumn from the first few orange […]
The Harvest Moon Explained by NASA
The astronomical start of autumn is less than two weeks away. But this year the Harvest Moon that is typically associated with Fall is occurring a little later than usual. What is the Harvest Moon? Do other full moons have names too? Those questions and others are answered in NASA Sciencecasts: The Harvest Moon.
Short Lessons on the Autumnal Equinox
The autumnal equinox occurs today in the northern hemisphere. If you’re looking for some resources for teaching about the equinox and the change of seasons, I have a small collection of resources for you. On National Geographic’s Education page there is a hands-on lesson that is worth noting. This hands-on activity is designed to help students understand the […]