As the weather gets cooler, leaves start changing, and some animals search for food for winter storage, you know it’s Fall. So many wonderful things happen in the Fall, from holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day/Indigenous People Day to the vibrant colors of the leaves. Learn everything you need to know about this amazing season with these Fall Facts for Kids 2023!
What is Fall?
Autumn is another word used for Fall. Fall or Autumn is one of the four seasons. The four seasons are Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Fall is the season between Summer and Winter. The first day of Autumn is at the end of September.
The children return to school at the unofficial end of the summer and the beginning of the fall.
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 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.
This happens on the Autumnal Equinox and the Vernal Equinox (in Spring)
In the Northern Hemisphere, Fall usually begins on September 21st, September 22nd, or September 23rd. October is the first full month of Fall.
The Northern Hemisphere is the part of the Earth located above the Equator. The U.S. and Canada are examples of countries located in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Fall begins around March 20th or 21st. In the Southern Hemisphere, April is the first full month of Fall.
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of the Earth located below the Equator. Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fall ends on the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. The day has the shortest amount of sunlight.
The Winter Solstice usually occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21st or 22nd.
The Winter Solstice usually occurs in the Southern Hemisphere on June 21st or 22nd.
Harvest Moon
The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon. It provides extra light for farmers to work late into the night to harvest crops.
A long time ago, before there were electric lights everywhere, farmers had to work hard to harvest all their crops before sunset. Harvesting means picking all the yummy fruits and vegetables they grew in their fields.
And guess what? The Harvest Moon was like a super helpful flashlight in the sky for them!
The Harvest Moon is so special because it’s bright and comes up early in the evening. That’s perfect for the farmers because it gives them extra light to keep working late into the night. They could pick all their crops by the light of the moon, so they didn’t have to stop when it got dark.
What Happens in Fall/Autumn?
In the Fall, you will notice that the leaves on the trees change color. Before the leaves fall to the ground, you will notice that they change 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.
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. When leaves turn red or sometimes purple, it is because of sugars from the sap in the leaf.
During the Spring and Summer, the leaves look green because photosynthesis occurs. Photosynthesis is the progress of how the leaf gets food and water and makes oxygen. During the process, leaves take in carbon dioxide from the air and use sunlight to turn it into sugars. The sugars turn into food for the tree. Oxygen is also made during the process.
The chlorophyll gets light from the sun and water from the ground turns it into food, and stores it in the leaf.
During the Fall, the days get shorter, and the chlorophyll cannot get enough light from the sun to make food. The leaf lives off the stored food and loses chlorophyll and its green color.
When 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.
Animals Prepare for Winter
Some animals start preparing for Winter during Fall. They will start preparing their homes to prepare for the winter weather.
Animals that hibernate, such as bears, prepare for Winter by eating more to put on body fat to make it through the Winter. Other animals will start to grow thicker coats (hair/fur) to keep them warm during the colder weather.
Some animals, such as squirrels, collect and store more food so they have enough for the Winter.
Birds will start to get ready to fly south for the winter to avoid the cold weather.
Fall Activities and Traditions for Kids and Families
A lot of fun activities take place during the Fall season. These activities will differ depending on what region you live in. There are harvest festivals in North America, particularly in the Northeast.
Many festivals offer fun activities such as scarecrow making and other crafts, fun games such as races and cornhole, and yummy foods. Some harvest foods include a variety of apples, homemade applesauce, roasted corn, pumpkin pie, cookies, and other pumpkin-flavored foods, apple pie, and other fruit pies.
It has become a tradition for many families to take their children out to pick pumpkins and apples during this time of year.
In addition to picking pumpkins and apples, many people go out to pick sunflowers and mums as they are popular flowers during the Autumn season.
Halloween celebrated on October 31st, and Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November in the US, are two holidays celebrated during the Autumn season. Check out Halloween Activities for Kids.
We hope you enjoyed reading interesting Fall and Autumn facts for kids in 2023. Check out our articles on Winter Facts for Kids, Spring Facts for Kids, and Summer Facts for Kids.
10 Amazing Facts about Fall
- Autumn is also used to describe Fall.
- Fall begins on the Autumnal Equinox.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, Fall begins between September 21st and September 23rd. In the Southern Hemisphere, Fall begins March 20th or 21st.
- Halloween, Thanksgiving, Columbus Day/Indigenous People Day, and Veterans Day are celebrated in the Fall.
- Leaves change color in Autumn
- Leaves turn red, yellow, orange, and brown.
- Birds start flying South during the Fall.
- Some animals look for food to store for winter
- Halloween, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving all occur in the Fall
- Popular Fall activities include harvest festivals, apple picking, pumpkin picking, and hiking,
Fall Coloring Page
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