How Do You Explain This New Season?

Hey, kids, do you want to learn some cool facts about Fall?   

I’m Zulah Talmadge. Here in The Shady Pines Gazette news headquarters we’ve been getting all sorts of questions from parents and teachers. They want to know how to explain this new season to children. So we did some research. Here are some fun facts:

Did you know that Fall and Autumn are the same seasons? Autumn is considered the formal word for Fall. Fall is when the weather starts getting cooler, leaves change color and some animals start searching for food to store for the winter.  

What Exactly is Fall?

Fall or Autumn is one of the four seasons.  The four seasons are Winter, SpringSummer, and Fall.  Fall is the season between Summer and Winter.  The first day of Autumn this year is Wednesday, September 22nd. 

The unofficial end of the summer season and the beginning of the Fall season is when the children go back to school. 

Colors associated with the season are red, yellow, orange, brown, and black.

When is Fall?

Fall begins on the Autumnal Equinox.  On the Equinox the sun spends almost the same amount of time above and below the horizon.  The sunrise and sunset are about 12 hours apart everywhere on Earth.  The daylight hours are a little longer.

In the Northern Hemisphere (where the United States is located) October is the first full month of Fall.

Fall ends on the Winter Solstice. Believe me, it can get cold here in Shady Pines!

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year.  The day has the least amount of sunlight.

The Winter Solstice usually occurs on December 21st or 22nd.

That’s right before Christmas. But let’s get back to the season at hand.

What Happens in Fall/Autumn?

In Fall you will notice that the leaves on the trees start to change color. Before you can say, “Quick Change Artist” they’re now red, yellow, orange, and brown. 

There are two types of trees – Deciduous and Evergreens.  Deciduous tree leaves change color but Evergreens do not. Christmas trees are evergreens.

So why do the leaves change color and drop from the trees?  Lack of food and water is the answer. Look around downtown Shady Pines and you’ll see the change of color in the plants and flowers.

During the Fall the days get shorter and the stuff in the leaves called, chlorophyl cannot get enough light from the sun needed to make food.  The leaf lives off the stored food and starts to lose chlorophyll and its green color.

As the chlorophyll leaves the leaf the yellow and orange colors start to show.  When all the stored food is used up the leaf dies, turns brown, and falls from the tree.

                         Fun Fall Things To Do

Do you want to know something else?

A lot of fun activities happen during Fall. For many Shady Pines families, it’s become a tradition to take the children out to pick pumpkins and apples during this time of year. Besides carving pumpkins, (sometimes for prizes) there are also good tasting recipes for pumpkin bread and apple cider.

We’ll have more on that later.

In the meantime, you might want to go shopping. The temperatures are getting cooler and it’s time to get ready for sweater weather. 

You might want to stock up on warm socks, hats, mittens, boots and galoshes. Yes, even those rubbery boots will come in handy. Kids can find so much to do even on those rainy, puddle-filled days.

With each new season there’s another chance to think about ways to be kind to our family members, neighbors, and friends.

And that’s not just a Fall thing. It’s and everyday thing in the small Southern town of Shady Pines.  Happy Fall to one and all!!!  – Zulah Talmadge