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Mother Nature’s House is exploding with colors this month! Fall has settled in and we are all starting to feel winter in the air as the days get shorter. Luckily, less sunlight means more colors! New England is especially vibrant this month; reds, greens, browns, yellows and oranges are everywhere. Take advantage of these beautiful fall hues by going on a “color hunt”! You and your child can explore outside as you look for different colors in nature. For older children, you can turn your exploration into a game of Color Bingo.
An autumn color hunt in New England must begin in the trees! During the summer, leaves in deciduous trees (such as maples, oaks and birch) are busy turning water, sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen. This process relies on the pigment chlorophyll, which gives spring and summer leaves their green color. When the days get shorter there is less sunlight to turn into food, so plants stop producing chlorophyll, revealing the yellow and orange pigments that are also in the leaf! At this time, the leaves begin making a red/purple pigment which creates the beautiful autumn colors we know and love. Try collecting leaves of different sizes, shapes and colors- compare them to the green needle-shaped leaves of Evergreens, such as pines, firs and hemlocks.
For another red sighting, try looking down. Red backed salamanders can be found on the forest floor, usually in the dark moist areas beneath logs. As they prepare for winter, they congregate in masses a few feet underground. Try gently rolling some logs over and look for these little amphibians before they go down!
At PUDDLESTOMPERS, we will be exploring the forest floor at our Columbus Day Vacation Program at Nahanton Park in Newton. From 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Monday, October 12th, kids will discover from the ground up as we look under logs, leaves and rocks! The day is a drop-off program that includes outdoor exploration, movement activities, snack, story and craft. For more information, or to register, please visit our Vacation Programs page.
Nahanton Park is a great place to view the fall foliage! Other colorful places are Boulder Brook Reservation in Wellesley, Menotomy Rocks in Arlington, and the Needham Town Forest (For directions, see our Locations page). We hope you enjoy the colors of the next few weeks!
An autumn color hunt in New England must begin in the trees! During the summer, leaves in deciduous trees (such as maples, oaks and birch) are busy turning water, sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen. This process relies on the pigment chlorophyll, which gives spring and summer leaves their green color. When the days get shorter there is less sunlight to turn into food, so plants stop producing chlorophyll, revealing the yellow and orange pigments that are also in the leaf! At this time, the leaves begin making a red/purple pigment which creates the beautiful autumn colors we know and love. Try collecting leaves of different sizes, shapes and colors- compare them to the green needle-shaped leaves of Evergreens, such as pines, firs and hemlocks.
For another red sighting, try looking down. Red backed salamanders can be found on the forest floor, usually in the dark moist areas beneath logs. As they prepare for winter, they congregate in masses a few feet underground. Try gently rolling some logs over and look for these little amphibians before they go down!
At PUDDLESTOMPERS, we will be exploring the forest floor at our Columbus Day Vacation Program at Nahanton Park in Newton. From 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Monday, October 12th, kids will discover from the ground up as we look under logs, leaves and rocks! The day is a drop-off program that includes outdoor exploration, movement activities, snack, story and craft. For more information, or to register, please visit our Vacation Programs page.
Nahanton Park is a great place to view the fall foliage! Other colorful places are Boulder Brook Reservation in Wellesley, Menotomy Rocks in Arlington, and the Needham Town Forest (For directions, see our Locations page). We hope you enjoy the colors of the next few weeks!
