October 2003 Week 2 Observations

Participants are listed by latitude and longitide, starting from the northernmost latitude. 54:52N-40:00N | 39:59N-29:27N | Firsts | Map | Quest [54:52N 6:17W] UNITED KINGDOM Northern Ireland, Ballymena P6/7KS Ballymena Primary School, Ms. Simpson & Ms. Lee's fourth graders , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Weather has been wet,windy and quite cold.The temperature has been 10 C. LAND & WATER: It has been raining all this week and it has left big puddles. PLANTS: Plants are dying and the leaves have been falling off the horse chestut tree in our school playground. ANIMALS: Bluetits have been eating from feeders in the Peoples Park beside our school. PEOPLE: People are starting to wear scarfs, coats, hats and gloves. They are also starting to wear boots instead of sandals. OTHER: As it has been rainin. People have been in their houses using a lot more central heating. We have been playing a game called conkers in school with the chestnuts from the horse chestnut tree. [53:31N 113:19W] CANADA Alberta, Sherwood Park New Horizons School, Ms. Mouallem's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have had an amazing week of Indian Summer. The temperatures have been unseasonably warm and we are LOVING it! The skies have been pure blue and brilliant against the golden leaves. LAND & WATER: Everything is slowly turning brown. The greens in the fields and lawns are fading. Water remains open. Won't freeze for a while yet. PLANTS: The plants are fading as well. Some of the hardier ones are still blooming and beautiful. ANIMALS: The anilmals are busily preparing for winter. Rabbits are turning from browns to white. PEOPLE: People here are enjoying this last stint of warm weather. In the morning it is very chilly and some people wear t-shirts only knowing that in the afternoon they'll be hot! [53:00N 00:00W] UNITED KINGDOM England, Waltham The Leas Infants School, Ms. Smith's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Thomas says that the temperature is 13C this week. It is colder and colder. Daniel says that this week the weather has changed, It is 13 degrees. The days are getting colder. Danielle says that this week it is cold at playtimes. It is windy. The sky is blue. PLANTS: Christopher noticed that more and more sunflowers are dying and have been put on the compost heap. Lots of leaves are falling to the ground. Oliver has noticed that the berries are ripening and the pumpkins are ready to be stored. The sunflowers are being dug up. All the leaves are changing to Autumn colours like orange, red, brown and yellow. Danielle noticed that the Michaelmas Daisies are a beautiful purple colour. Berries are ripening to give the birds their winter food. PEOPLE: Christopher has noticed that the days are a lot shorter. Now is the first time we have to put our coats on when we go out to play. 0THER: Michael says today, October 8th, we went to the Church for Harvest Festival. I read some words and they said, "There are brown and yellow acorns. Berries and scarlet haws. Amber gorse and heather, purple across the moors." The Reverend Shelton told us about three animals, one was a bird, one was a sheep and one was a mouse. [45:19N 75:40W] CANADA Ontario, Ottawa Elizabeth Park Public School, Ms. Chartrand's first graders , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have had a little bit of everything as far as weather goes this week. It started off on the weekend to be rainly and quite cool. Some places even go some hail! By Mondy, it was starting to warm up and by the end of the week, the temperature was 23 degrees celcius. The sun shone almost every day. Indian Summer is here. This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada and the weather is predicted to be warmer than usual. That will be good for everybody who is going to be travelling to see relatives. LAND & WATER: The weather is still to warm to cause the ground or water to freeze. Many of the farm fields are looking bare because the farmers have harvested the crops. PLANTS: The leaves on the trees are turning many brilliant colours. Most of the leaves are still on the trees but it will not be long before they will fall and we will be able to walk through them and listen to them crunch. The flowers in our gardens are gone now but when we drive through the country, we see lots of pumpkins growning in the fields. We are anxious to carve them at Halloween. ANIMALS: The Canadian Geese are heading south. We often hear them flying over our school. We think it is fascinating the way they fly in a V-shape. Sometimes they land in the field behind our school. They are much quieter on the ground than they are in the air. Robins and other summer birds have all left. We still see blue jays, cardinals, and chickadees in the trees. The squirrels are busy putting nuts and things away for the winter. The chipmunks are already hibernating. Since the weather has been warmer than normal this week, the wasps have been in the school yard again. We don't like that very much! PEOPLE: We have to wear jackets and long pants now. Even though the weather has been warm, the mornings are still cool. People are starting to rake the leaves. Even though our moms and dads think this is work, we like to help because when the leaves are all in piles, we can jump in them. Since this weekend in a long weekend, many people will be driving through the countryside to look at the colourful leaves. We have some spectacular scenery in this area. Just across the river from Ottawa, in the province of Quebec, there is an area called the Gatineau Hills. People come from all over to visit that area this time of year because the leaves and trees are so beautiful. OTHER: One sure sign that autumn has arrived is the beginning of the hockey season. Thursday was the first game of the year for the Ottawa Senators, our National Hockey League team. We started the year with a win so our whole class is happy! [43:07N 79:01W] USA New York, Grand Island Kaegebein Elementary School, Ms. Hartman's third graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Grand Island, New York's weather has been up and down this week. We began the week with heavy rain and wind accompanied by very unseasonable temperatures. It was as cold as 32f (0C) at night with daytime temperatures of 50f. Then it warmed up to 50f at night and 78f during the day with brilliantly blue skies and warm, gentle breezes. LAND & WATER: The ground had been soggy due to the large amount of rain received earlier in the week, but dried up quickly with the dry weather and warmer temperatures. When it was windy the river that surrounds our island was very choppy, but as the wind calmed down the river was also calm. PLANTS: We had our first official frost this week and that killed off many of the flowers in our gardens. Most of our trees still have their green leaves, although certain kinds of trees have started to change color, such as cottonwood trees that are now showing very golden leaves. We still have had to mow our lawns because the grass has not stopped growing yet. ANIMALS: The Canada geese that were living in our playground have flown off, perhaps further south on their migration. Some of us have noticed that our pet dogs and cats seem to be getting thicker fur. We have all noticed that squirrels have been busy gathering and burying food to prepare for winter. PEOPLE: Our families are busy pulling out the dead annual plants and planting flower bulbs (tulips, daffodils) to bloom in the spring. Many of us have taken road trips to view colorful tree foliage that is at its peak in other parts of New York State, even though most of our trees have not changed yet. [42:54N 90:56W] USA Wisconsin, Bloomington River Ridge Middle School, Ms. Miller's students , , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The climate is chilly, but the sun shines all day. We have had some cold day that were dreary, but also day that have reached near 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun lights up the sky and blinds you as your looking at it. The wind blows gently, but is really cold. It is what makes the day seem cold. There has been frost on the ground. LAND & WATER: The ponds have not yet frozen over, they are still crystal blue. Some are green because of the amount of algae in them. Fish are plentiful in the Mississippi River. PLANTS: Plants are changing in many ways. The frost has settled, so many flowers have stopped blooming. A few trees have started dropping their leaves and the colors are mostly golden, but there are some reds and browns. The grass is a little greener because there has been more rain, but it has also begun to slowly die and wilt away. The corn has been harvested and what remains of them is brown stalks. ANIMALS: The animals are intriguing. Coyotes howl at night and raccoons show they're bright yellow eyes. Cattle have been looking for the green luscious grass that this summer graced the fields. Asian Beetles and other bugs have returned again to cover the buildings. Stray cats roam the towns looking for anything that resembles cat food. PEOPLE: The animals are intriguing. Coyotes howl at night and raccoons show they're bright yellow eyes. Cattle have been looking for they green luscious grass that this summer graced the fields. Asian Beetles and other bugs have returned again to cover the buildings. Stray cats roam the towns looking for anything that resembles cat food. [42:44N 73:41W] USA New York, Green Island Heatly School, Ms. Kirch's second graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The temperatures for the middle of the weekk rose to the 70's Fahrenheit. The sun was very warm too. It started to rain on Sunday and temperatures got cooler. LAND & WATER: The water was high on the Hudson River by th end of the week. PLANTS: Leaves are turning orange and red. The garden is still growing but the tomatoes are only green. ANIMALS: Squirrels are running all over the lawns. They seem to be looking for food. PEOPLE: Many people ar still wearing shor sleeve shirts and no coats! OTHER: Boats are on the river. We watch them going through the locks. [42:43N 71:11W] USA Massachusetts, Methuen Marsh Grammar School, Mr. Lawton & Mrs. Beauchesne's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather this week in Methuen had us feeling like we were on a roller coaster. It went from very low temperatures (Mid thirties) to very high temperatures (low eighties). Both are unusual for this time of year. The chilly temperatures at the beginning of the week and high temperatures at the end had us guessing about what kind of clothing we should wear as we head for school each day. Talk about peaks and valleys! On Wednesday morning we woke up to see a pretty white frost covering the still green grass and 'painting' our cars. The leaves continue to change from a healthy green color to hues of red, orange, yellow, and brown with even some purple! There are many 'Leaf Peepers' checking the pretty fall foliage -- this is what we call people enjoy watching the Fall foliage changes. We will continue to watch the progress of the trees around our school as they continue to 'undress' themselves. LAND & WATER: PLANTS: Many of our summer flowers did not survive the frost, and in their place now sit pumpkins, scarecrows, and cornstalks. ANIMALS: Flocks of birds are feathering their wings in anticipation of a quick southern get-away. PEOPLE: Jackets and light coats were taken out of storage and welcome wear for morning playground fun. [42:32N 71:31W] USA Massachusetts, Littleton Shaker Lane School, Ms. Smith's kindergartners WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We are having colder mornings and warmer afternoons. We have not had thunderstorms when we are sleeping in a while. LAND & WATER: More leaves have turned color by water. There was frost on the ground this morning. The grass was wet with dew. PLANTS: There were mushrooms growing in the bark. There were dandelions growing again. The trees are getting bare. More acorns are falling. ANIMALS: We saw a squirrel gathering nuts. We saw a monarch butterfly. We saw an empty bird's nest. PEOPLE: We eat different foods because it is getting colder. People wear long sleeves, long pants and coats in the morning. [42:07N 88:16W] USA Illinois, Carpentersville Sunny Hill School, Ms. Grande's third graders , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We are enjoying Indian Summer this week. We have noticed more of a temperature change; it is much cooler in the mornings and evenings but can get pretty warm during the day. We have had a very dry week with mostly blue sky and scattered clouds Temperatures: 10/6 - Monday 60 degrees F & Sunny 10/7 Tuesday 75 degrees F & Sunny 10/8 Weds. Sunny and 80 degrees F 10/9Thursday ö 76 degrees F Overcast 10/10 - Friday ö 74 degrees F and Sunny 10/11 ö Sunny and in the 70's (Prediction) LAND & WATER: Land is very dry and water is cooler since the nightime temperatures have been cooler. PLANTS: Plant s are turning different colors, and theyâre drying out,. Some are shriveling up, stems are cracking and some look droopy from the evening cold. Many trees and bushes are losing leaves. People have to clean and cut up plants that are dead. Evergreen trees never change ö they are still staying green. ANIMALS: Students have noticed a Chipmunk - cleaning himself and collecting acorns and leafs. They also observed that animals' coats are getting thicker. Birds are migrating and traveling in large groups Rabbits are digging holes under the fence. Animals are acting differently because the weather is turning colder and they are busy getting ready for colder weather. Lady bugs are all over - even inside some of our houses! PEOPLE: Babies are crying because they are dressed too warmly. People are wearing sweaters, pants, gym shoes, hats, gloves and socks. Flu season ö people are getting sick. In the mornings and evenings, people are getting cold and shivery, and have red noses, ears and cheeks. [42:02N 88:17W] USA Illinois, Elgin St. Mary School, Ms. Gilbert's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather was cold and rainy last week-end. This week it feels like summer has returned. The temperatures are in the 60's and 70's F. We turned off the heat in the classroom and turned on the air conditioning. We are keeping a record of the sunrise and sunset as the days get shorter and nights longer. LAND & WATER: We had a light frost on the ground. PLANTS: Some plants in the vegetable gardens froze this week. Our fall flowers are in full bloom. The leaves are beginning to turn colors. ANIMALS: Some of our classmates noticed more animal activity. Squirrels are busy gathering nuts. We noticed geese flying south. PEOPLE: The highschools in our area are having their homecoming activities. Some of our students are playing football. Our class is very excited about the Chicago Cubs baseball team. We hope they will win the World Series! [41:53N 88:28W] USA Illinois, Elburn Kaneland North Elementary School, Ms. McGowen's second graders Our season is changing from summer to fall. We have observed some leaves changing color, squirrels running around, and the wind is blowing harder lately. We need jackets in the mornings. [41:46N 80:51W] USA Ohio, Austinburg Austinburg Elementary School, Ms. Gray's second graders , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Weather and Temperature: The days were cool at the beginning of this week and warm by the end of the week. High temperatures at the beginning of the week were in the low 50s. By the end of the week the highs were in the 70s. Lows at the beginning of the week were in the low 30s and by the end of the week were in the low 50s. It was sunny for most of the week. LAND & WATER: Land and Water: On Monday and Tuesday mornings we had frost on the ground. Some of our parents had to scrap their windows before they could drive their cars. PLANTS: Plants: Some trees are starting to turn bright orange, red, and yellow. Some of the plants have died or are turning brown due to the cold temperatures at the beginning of the week. We may have to rake leaves soon. ANIMALS: Animals: Some of the insects have disappeared, but with the warm weather at the end of the week the bees were out again . The outside animals are getting thicker coats. PEOPLE: People: People wore thicker jackets in the beginning of the week. They were also wearing long sleeved shirts and thicker clothing. By the end of the week they were wearing thin jackets in the morning and no jackets in the afternoon. People were chopping wood and burning it in their fireplaces at the beginning of the week. OTHER: Other: The days are getting shorter and it is getting darker sooner. The Covered Bridge Festival is this week-end. People are selling pumpkins, grapes, Indian corn, squashes, and bundles of corn stalks. People have Halloween decorations up and scarecrows in their yards. The picture we have included was taken from our classroom window. [41:42N 74:22W] USA New York, Ellenville Ellenville Elementary School, Ms. Sharoff's second graders , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have had some Indian Summer weather this week. Last week the highs during the day were in the mid-60s to low-50s. This week the highs during the day were in the upper 70s. The nights have been cool, but not cool enough to keep the heavy blankets on. LAND & WATER: The puddles and muddy patches from last week have all dried up. PLANTS: The trees are really beginning to change colors. Mother Nature is painting the trees with vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. We think that we are coming close to the height of our fall foliage. ANIMALS: We are seeing more deer and turkeys. We are watching squirrels as they gather food. We have one squirrel in the front of the school that is gathering food on the ground and then we see him in the tree outside of our classroom window (at least we think itâs the same squirrel!). Mrs. Sharoff has seen two red foxes on her way in to work in the early morning. PEOPLE: Because of the unusually warm weather, we are wearing no sleeve shirts to school again. We are noticing that people are wearing light sweaters in the morning, but are not wearing any in the afternoons. [41:14N 80:49W] USA Ohio, Warren Garfield Elementary School, Ms. Culver's fourth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We are enjoying a beautiful week of Indian Summer. The temperatures have been unseasonably warm with highs in the 70'sF. The lows have been in the 50's F. LAND & WATER: In the city the leaves are just starting to change colors. A few miles out many trees are showing vibrant fall colors.The leaves are beginning to fall this week. PLANTS: Many of the flowers are starting to shrivel and die. We had a significant frost on October 3rd and the temperature dropped to 26 degrees F. There are trees that lost their leaves and are full of berries. Acorns are plentiful and falling on the ground. ANIMALS: Squirrels are busy gathering nuts and digging holes to bury them. PEOPLE: People are busy preparing their homes for winter and the change in the weather. Patio furniture is put away, and pools are covered. You can see people raking leaves. Shorts are no longer worn to school and since the mornings are cooler, students wear sweaters and jackets to school. [41:14N 84:07W] USA Ohio, Holgate Holgate Elementary School, Ms. Wagner & Ms. Burkhart's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have had a cool week here in Northwest Ohio. The days have early morning temperatures in the 30F and 40F degrees. This week on Wednesday and Thursday we are having an "Indian Summer." It is when it gets very warm during the day after having cool fall weather. Indian Summers usually only last a few days then the cool fall weather is back again. LAND & WATER: The ponds that some people who live in the country have in their yards for drinking water are not yet frozen over. Some mornings it looks as if sugar has been sprinkled over the lawns. The ground hasnât frozen yet, once that happens we know winter has arrived. PLANTS: Some leaves are beginning to fall, but not so many that we need to say its our season's first. Farmers has started to harvest the soybeans in our area. Before the plants are harvested they must dry to an ugly stalk with fuzzy pods. When harvested they are rounds tan beans the size of a lady bug. There are approximately 86,000 soybeans in a bushel. Learn more about soybeans here. Pumpkin vines are beginning to dry up so pumpkins are being picked for pies, cookies, and jack-o-lanterns. We wonder if the children from other countries cut pumpkins for decorations during the month of October. ANIMALS: The birds we are seeing are gathering together in large flocks and sitting on the wires that run along the roads. We think they might be planning a trip south. In our area a few years ago a type of beetle was introduced to eat another insect called aphids. These beetles are now everywhere this time of year. When we come in from outside recess we can find them on our clothes, in our hair, and on the doors waiting to get in where it is warm. They are shaped like a lady bug, but are brownish-orange with black spots. They also stink! It is said that if you squash one of the beetles, the odor given off is like a call for help which soon attracts more beetles. Our pets are enjoying the cool weather, and resting after much running around. Wild bunnies are beginning to get their winter fur coat, so they look big. There are many butterflies in our area now. Some will go south soon where it is warm. The monarch butterfly flies to Mexico for the winter. PEOPLE: On Tuesday of this week it was very cold. Students came to school wearing coats. Today is Thursday and long sleeve shirts or light weight jackets are all that was need. OTHER: This week's picture is of crops harvested in our area along with the dried soybean plant. Weâve also included one of the trees beginning to change color. In the background you can see a tall building where grain being harvested is stored. [41:01N 73:45W] USA New York, White Plains George Washington Elementary School, Ms. McPartlin's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have been observing the climate for a week. The temperatures have been decreasing. Although, the middle of this week was warm. Temperatures were in the mid 70s. It almost felt like summer. People were wearing shorts and t-shirts. Nighttime is much cooler than the days. At the end of the week it felt more like fall. LAND/WATER: Land and water are still looking the same. Water is cooler. The grass is starting to turn yellow and brown. There are more patches of dirt and sand in the grass. PLANTS: The plants are still growing, however, leaves are starting to change colors. They have a brown or orange tinge to them. The grass is turning yellowish brown and some grassy areas are dying. ANIMALS: Animals are still around. They run and play. Some squirrels and chipmunks have been eating dogwood seeds and digging in the ground. They are seen collecting nuts, acorns, etc. There are large flocks of birds on the lawns. When they fly up in the sky, they cover the sky. We see large flocks of birds flying in a “V” configuration. PEOPLE: People are still wearing summer clothes. Some are wearing sweaters. At night people wear sweaters and jackets. They are jogging, walking their dogs, and other activities. [40:40N 73:57W] USA New York, New York Trevor Day School, Ms. Guarnieri's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Observations by: Xavier, Anna and Claire The sky is blue with white clouds and the sun was yellow. There was an invisible wind that felt cold but the sun felt hot. It was pretty calm and the clouds were moving slowly in the sky. It was 70 degrees. LAND & WATER: Observations by Ryan, Matt, Dan and Alvin: The land was green, brown and grey. We saw grass and rocks. The ground was mostly dry but there was a deep puddle that had plants growing out of it. The ground felt cold. There was a lot of glass broken all over the ground. PLANTS: Observations by Catherine, Alex and Giacomo: We saw a lot of trees. Mostly their leaves were green but some patches were yellow. We noticed that one tree had a squirrel house in it. One tree had a lot of letters carved in it. The trees all have different kinds of leaves. ANIMALS: Observations by Emilio, Beth, Eli and Liam: We saw a brown, soft bird who was drinking from a puddle. We saw a hairy brown squirrel looking for nuts. We saw a dark blue bird flying south. We saw a LOT of dogs with dogwalkers. We saw a black and brown horse with someone riding on it. PEOPLE: Observations by Eddie, Annabel, and Madison: We saw a lot of people. We saw joggers running, rollerbladers skating, bike riders going really fast. We saw soccer players playing a soccer game. They looked hot. People were wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts, mostly. We also saw a lot of people walking. [40:28N 80:03W] USA Pennsylvania, McKees Rocks Sto-Rox Elementary School, Ms. Raymond's first graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The scientists in this group observed blue skies with white fluffy clouds. The sun was out everyday. The temperature was chilly in the morning and warm in the afternoon. LAND & WATER: This group observed the ground being hard. It is still covered with grass. Frost covered the grass every morning. PLANTS: The Tree scientists observed the leaves changing to a red-orange color. Berries were also growing on the tree. The Plants scientists observed many green plants were so green and growing. Some bushes still had pretty flowers on them. Some plants died and turned yellow and brown. ANIMALS: The scientists observed fuzzy caterpillars and bees everywhere. Suqirrels were running around getting nuts. No birds were spotted flying away. PEOPLE: The scientists observed students coming to school with coats, jackets, hats and even gloves on!!!! At afternoon recess, no one was wearing thier coats. It was too warm. OTHER: This week's lead scientists were Austin, Breaunna, Ashlyn, Danielle and Kristopher. [40:24N 80:11W] USA Pennsylvania, Oakdale Donaldson Elementary School, Ms. Huling's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: After a very cold week last week, this week brought us a taste of "Indian Summer". The weather warmed throughout the week with temperatures reaching into the mid 70's. The mornings have been foggy. Before lunchtime the sun has been shining brightly. LAND & WATER: PLANTS: There are more leaves changing color this week. We can see the yellow of the aspens and the red of the sumacs outside our windows. Far off on the hillside we can see oranges and reds beginning to appear. The evergreens, of course, remain dark green. We painted pictures of fall trees with watercolors on Thursday. We wrote sentences about autumn on Friday. Our teacher put them together for a classroom book. Some of them will be used on our webpages and others will be part of a PowerPoint presentation about the seasons. ANIMALS: Some ladybugs appeared outside our windows late on Wednesday. They seem to be looking for a place to spend the winter. PEOPLE: Last week we needed warm coats everyday for recess. This week we ended up taking off our coats at recess. Some of us were even sweaty when we came back in. We know that won't last for long! OTHER: The meteorologists on TV are telling us that the weather will be changing on Sunday. We will have to wait and see if they are correct. [40:22N 80:32W] USA West Virginia, Colliers Colliers Elementary School, Mr. Bennet's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The sky this morning was a very beautiful blue cloudless sky. The temperature this morning was 50*F. The weather this week is supposed to be sunny and great. Temperatures for highs in the 60's and lows in the 50's. Much better this week than last week. No rain in the forecast. LAND & WATER: Grass is still growing but slowly. Flowers are dying and trees are producing less food so leaves are changing colors and slowly falling to the ground. PLANTS: ANIMALS: People are still walking their dogs because the weather is still nice. Travis saw some birds migrating south. PEOPLE: No one wore shorts today. Half of the students had short sleeve shirts today. This week we shouldn't need to wear coats to school OTHER: Locally we had our Apple Festival in Wellsburg, WV. Many apple trees are producing lots of fruit and we celebrate that with many local festivals. Our local pee-wee football team, The Follansbee Blue's won their game, 12-8. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns. [40:17N 74:03W] USA New Jersey, Eatontown Harbor School, Ms. Greebel's & Mr. Butera's students , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week the weather has been mostly sunny but on Friday there were lots of clouds rolling in. The temperature in the beginning of the week was a little cold and by Friday it started to warm up. Today the temperature is 86 degrees! It feels like summer, but it is beginning to look more like autumn. LAND & WATER: Each day during morning work we take some time to talk about the different changes of autumn. When we are finished talking, we each have some time to look out our window to see if we notice any changes outside. Our class recoerder for the week noticed that the leaves outside the window seem to be changing colors and falling to the ground. They also noticed that they can see houses that have been hidden by the leaves on the tree. PLANTS: The leaves on the trees are slowly changing colors. Pine cones are also beginning to fall from the trees. ANIMALS: The squirrels have been busy collecting food for the winter. We saw a lot of cracked acorns on the ground. ANIMALS: During recess we have seen 5 spiders on our school playground and we also saw squirrels digging holes and walking along the fence. PEOPLE: We are starting to see more coats and long sleeve shirts in our school. [40:07N 75:20W] USA Pennsylvania, Norristown Paul Fly Elementary, Ms. Foedisch's first graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Today we went outside to look for signs of "fall". The weather was chilly and foggy. The temperature was 68 degrees. LAND & WATER: PLANTS: We saw brown,green, red and orange leaves on the ground. We also saw some dead flowers. ANIMALS: One of us saw a big brown grasshopper right next to a bush. We heard birds chirping and a duck quacking. PEOPLE: People on the playground were wearing long sleeves and long pants. The men working on the baseball field were wearing sweatshirts. OTHER: We noticed that this week we had many mornings with frost on the ground. [40:04N 74:12W] USA New Jersey, Brick Brick Community Primary Learning Center, Ms. MacDougall's students > WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We had a warm week with temperatures in the 70's. The sky has been blue with some wispy, white clouds. LAND & WATER: The benches in the garden are wet in the morning and so are the grass and plants. PLANTS: Our canna plants and sunflowers have dark brown leaves from the frost at night. The zinnias are also turning brownish in parts. The burning bushes have one red leaf so far. The tulip trees have a few yellow leaves, but are mostly green. ANIMALS: We have seen lots of grasshoppers, crickets, and spiders in the garden. Everyday we see monarch, cabbage white, and painted lady butterflies and goldfinches. The squirrels are scampering about. PEOPLE: More children are wearing long sleeved shirts. They have to remember to roll their sleeves up at the water table. We have gone outside everyday to take advantage of the warm weather. Today we used binoculars to see what we could see. 54:52N-40:00N | 39:59N-29:27N | Firsts | Map | Quest