Sara L. Latta - Why Is It Fall?

When is it fall? Why do some leaves change color in the fall? What do animals do in the fall? Learn the answers to these questions, and many others, as you start learning about the seasons.

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Note to Parents and Teachers

The Why Do We Have Seasons? series supports the National Science Education Standards for K4 science. The Words to Know section introduces subject-specific vocabulary words, including pronunciation and definitions. Early readers may need help with these new words.

About the Author

Sara L. Latta writes about science and medicine from her home in Illinois. She has a BA in Microbiology from the University of Kansas, an MS in Immunology from the University of Chicago, and recently earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University.

harvest (HAR vest)The food gathered at the end of the growing season.

migrate (MY grate)To move from one place to another.

season (SEE zuhn)One of the four parts of the year. Each season has a certain kind of weather.

tiltTo lean to one side.

There are four seasons of the year. Fall is one of the seasons. The others are winter, spring, and summer.

Each season lasts about three months. Each season has its own kind of weather.

Earth moves around the sun one time each year. Earth tilts as it goes around the sun.

The tilt causes more or less sunlight to fall on different parts of Earth.

As the amount of sunlight changes, the weather changes. So do the seasons.

Fall starts right after summer. In North America, the first day of fall is around September 21. After this day, the days get cooler. The days also get shorter: The sun sets earlier every day.

With less sunlight, plants make less food. They get ready to rest for winter. The green part of leaves that makes food goes away.

In fall, some plants turn brown and look dead. Their roots are still alive, though. Like the trees, they will rest all winter.

In fall, animals get ready for winter. Some grow long, thick fur to keep them warm. Others gather food. Bears eat lots and lots of food in the fall. They will use their fat for energy as they rest over the winter.

Some animals cannot live in the cold winter weather. So in the fall, they migrate to warmer places. Geese and other birds fly south. Many kinds of fish swim to warmer waters.

Many farmers pick their crops in the fall. You may go apple picking or get a Halloween pumpkin. People all around the world celebrate the harvest. In North America, many families share a Thanksgiving feast.

You will need:

• tree or shrub that turns colors in the fall (ask an adult to help you find one)