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 [39:59N 82:59W] USA Ohio, Columbus Trinity School, Ms. Olvera & Ms. Haninger's second graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: It continues to get cooler, however this week we expereinced a pleasant "Indian Summer". One student noted that the moon is full and it is called the "Hunter's Moon". The daily temperatures change often. The sky can be very cloudy one minute and then very clear the next. LAND & WATER: We have seen frost on the grass. PLANTS: leaves continue to change colors. ANIMALS: Squirrels gathering nuts, rabbits changing to white, birds migrating and lady bugs swarming. One student reported that ants were finding places to stay in wood around her house. PEOPLE: Wearing warm clothes in the morning and carrying the jacket or sweater home in the afternoon. [39:39N 85:08W] USA Indiana, Connersville Eastview Elementary School, Ms. Newton's first graders , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have had sunny weather with temperatures in the 70's. In fact it has been hot , almost 80 degrees. We have no rain this week. LAND & WATER: We are noticing shorter days. We are getting up and it is still dark outside. PLANTS: Most of the trees have changed colors and many are losing their leaves now. We are starting to see piles of leaves on the ground. ANIMALS: We are seeing squirrels gather nuts, chipmunks getting food, and mice coming around our houses. PEOPLE: We need jackets in the morning, but not in the afternoon. People are starting to rake leaves. [39:33N 95:08W] USA Kansas, Atchison Atchison Gifted Program, Ms. Van Dyke's students WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Our weather is unseasonably warm for October with temperatures in the mid 70s and 80s. The evening temperatures have been 40 to 53 degrees, and we are saving energy because families are not turning on the furnace. We woke up to fog one morning, and it looks beautiful across the river bluffs. LAND & WATER: The Missouri River flows south by our city. The banks are higher since the rain in September. The Corp of Engineers released water from the north after endangered fish laid their eggs on the sandbars. The river was low all summer. PLANTS: Flower gardens are beautiful because of the warm temperatures, and grass is still green. We are sitting under a famous Apple Tree from Johnny Appleseed Chapman's home in Lima, Ohio. We are holding Jonathan apples but they did not come from this tree. It has not produced fruit yet. In our historical tree museum at school there are 9 living trees that were transplanted from the birthplace or home of famous people. Most of the trees in the museum are starting to turn colors, but no leaves are falling. ANIMALS: Some butterflies are still powerfeeding because the plants and flowers are still blooming. They should start their migrations soon. Squirrels are gathering nuts, eating a few and burying the rest. The black walnut shells are left behind and stain your hands if you pick them up. Many starlings are roosting in trees in large numbers. PEOPLE: We are still wearing summer clothing, with a jacket for mornings and evening, which is unusual this time of year. The football players are hot! People are glad it is still warm and we try to get outside more. Pumpkins and fall harvest scenes are decorating our town. [39:32N 74:29W] USA New Jersey, Jackson Switlik Elementary School, Ms. Wardell's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Our weather this week has been very mild. Cool nights and mornings with temperatures in the 60's and 70's F during the day. We have seen blue skies and puffy clouds. This morning it was very foggy. LAND & WATER: The land around our class and homes is getting brown and dry. We didn't have any rain this week. Our pools are all closed up until next summer. PLANTS: We have seen mums with pretty colors blooming all around. Pumpkins are in the fields ready to be picked. The summer flowers feel crisp and are starting to die. ANIMALS: Breann and Michael saw deer looking for food. Sarah and Miranda saw a squirrel eating nuts. The groundhog that lives under our classroom trailer was seen going underground. PEOPLE: The children at school are wearing jackets in the morning and t-shirts in the afternoon. People were spotted decorating for Halloween and playing baseball, soccer and football. OTHER: Today we took home our "Grassheads". We planted them two weeks ago and now they are ready for a haircut. We learned that all living things need water, air, food, sunlight and shelter. Plants don't need food since they make their own. [39:02N 95:41W] USA Kansas, Topeka Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Ms. Seeger's fifth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: For the past five days there has been fog and dew in the morning. You could feel the water in the air. We have had a full moon. This area has had rain for the past two days. Our class can really smell the rain before it gets here. We have also had frost on the windows. In fall when you smell the air, it is fresh and clean. The grass has been wet in the mornings. LAND & WATER: One of us saw a creek with slushy water in it; the water is getting cold. There was a frozen grasshopper in my dog's water bowl. On 10/2, I saw frost on the grass. We saw CRP grass on 10/7 that was frozen. The water on my pool cover was frozen on 10/10. PLANTS: On of the fungi we have observed are mushrooms in Cody's backyard. We have also seen white, puffy dandelions instead of the yellow ones. We have observed leaves falling and changing colors during October. Plants and bushes have been dying since the very end of September. ANIMALS: We have seen more animals now that it is getting cooler. Most birds and butterflies are migrating so they are not here for the colder weather. Squirrels are gathering nuts for the long winter. Cats and dogs are getting poofier so they are not so cold for the winter. Our group thinks that the bears at the zoo are hibernating because they were observed to be eating more. PEOPLE: When we were observing signs of fall, we noticed that people are starting wear jackets back in September because it is getting colder. We noticed that beginning the first part of October, there is less sunlight. Plus, we noticed a lot of fog this morning, the 10th, and on the 6th. I couldn't see anything because it was so murky and it felt moist. [38:13N 90:24W] USA Missouri, Festus Festus Elementary School, Ms. Schweigert's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: In Festus, it has been a pretty pleasant week. We have had average temperatures of highs in the mid 70's and low 80's. The lows have been between 50 and 60 degrees. We had 1 rainy day and the rest of week has been sunny. When we are playing outside we notice that is getting dark earlier than before. It is usually dark by 7 o'clock. LAND & WATER: We have noticed that when we are outside in the evenings we can no longer take our shoes off and play in the grass. The grass and ground are much cooler in the evenings. And the lake water is getting a little cooler because of our cool mornings and nights. The ground is just a little moist do to the rain we had on Thursday. PLANTS: Mums are in full bloom. Other flowers are no longer blooming and are beginning to die. The leaves on the trees are changing into beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange and a few leaves have already fallen from the trees. ANIMALS: When we look into our backyards we see squirrels collecting nuts for the winter. There are more deer around, but some animals are migrating for the winter(like birds and butterflies). We don't blame them. Some of us would like to go somewhere warm for the winter months. Since it is cooler in the evenings we don't see as many mosquitos or bees flying around. PEOPLE: We observed students and teachers wearing warmer and thicker clothes. Usually people have on a jacket in the mornings and evenings, because that time of day can be quit chilly. [37:51N 90:31W] USA Missouri, Park Hills West Elementary School, Ms. Stam's fourth graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Today it was 63 degrees F and it is rainy. The sky is full of dark clouds and it is very foggy. The rest of the week was beautiful and sunny with warmer temperatures. LAND & WATER: So far the grass is still green but it is not growing as fast. The ground is beginning to be covered with leaves. PLANTS: We're starting to see many flowering plants dieing. The trees are turning very colorful. They have glowing colors of red, organge, yellow, and purple. There are still many green trees. We have trees such as maple, oak, dogwood, elm, pear, apple, cherry, and crabapple. We also have many evergreen trees such as: pine, cedar, and spruce. There are some flowers such as the chrysanthemum, the cardinal flower, the shasta daisy, and blazing star are blooming during the fall months. ANIMALS: We are still able to see animals such as: lizards, snakes, butterflies, frogs, spiders, yellow-jackets, wasps, bees, hornets, and ticks. The squirrels are cracking open nuts to eat now and save for later. We are still seeing many birds. Some will be staying for the winter, some have alreading migrated, and others will be migrating later in the fall. Deer and turkeys are commonly seen in our state. Some of our pets are growing more hair to prepare for the winter. PEOPLE: Many people are suffering from allergies. Some of these allergies are caused by the the pollen from some grasses, flowers, and trees. These allergies cause people's eyes to water, stuffy noses, sneezing, and coughing. Due to the weather, we are starting to wear pants and long sleeve shirts more often. After school, we are able to play outdoors in activities like soccer, football, basketball,and riding bikes and scooters. Many people are preparing for the upcoming deer and turkey season. [36:39N 93:15W] USA Missouri, Branson Signs of Autumn Scientists of Branson Primary School Ms. Lennon, Ms. Ellett & Ms. Pingleton's first and second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather this week was 69 - 71 degrees, which is still comfortable. It has been very foggy in the morning but the sun has been shining through about mid-morning until today (Thursday) when it rained all day! LAND & WATER: Our second grade class is still collecting snails and slugs for terrariums they are creating, which indicates the soil is still warm. PLANTS: The leaves of certain species of trees have begun to change color, but the hillsides are still mostly green. ANIMALS: Mrs. Ellett caught a "wooly worm" and is hoping to nurture it into whatever it shall become. PEOPLE: The first of the week we needed light jackets in the morning, but by afternoon recess we were in short sleeves. Today we were soaked by the time we reached the buses! OTHER: A picture of our wooly worm is being sent separately! [34:13N 118:14W] USA California, La Crescenta Lincoln Elementary School, Ms. Goddard's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week we had mostly sunny weather in the afternoons. We had fog, clouds, and sunshine. We take the temperature early in the morning. The high temperature for the week was 70¼F and the low temperature was 64¼F. LAND & WATER: The grass is still green and beginning to be covered by leaves falling from the trees. We donāt have any water nearby so we donāt know of any changes. PLANTS: Some plants are dying and others are seeing flowers beginning to bloom. The pine cones are beginning to turn yellow brown. The lemon tree is still getting new lemons. The lemons are starting to drop onto the ground. More plums are starting to grow. The oranges on the trees are getting fatter. ANIMALS: We are noticing that there are fewer deer to be seen. The squirrels are really playing a lot in the trees. PEOPLE: We are still wearing our summer shorts and tee shirts. We are seeing more people wear sweaters and jackets at night and early morning. OTHER: The days are getting shorter. It is getting darker in the morning and getting dark early in the evening. [33:57N 84:32W] USA Georgia, Marietta A.L.Burruss Elementary School,Ms. Tucker's kindergartners , , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The sky has been very gray this week. We have a lot of clouds and a few days of rain. It is starting to get colder out. The average temperature this week has been in the low 70's. LAND & WATER: The land is starting to turn brown and leaves are falling to them. The ground has been wet from the rain. Some of the water has been a little dirty. PLANTS: We went out and collected leaves and did experiments on them. The leaves are turning yellow, orange, and red. Some of the leaves are starting to fall to the ground. ANIMALS: We have seen squirrels gathering nuts. Birds are flying. Ducks are still swimming. PEOPLE: People are wearing more sweaters and jackets. We are starting to wear long sleeve shirts. OTHER: People are playing football outside. We are starting to see pumpkins in the grocery stores. [33:37N 92:04W] USA Arkansas, Warren Mrs. Karen's Kinder Kiddos, Ms. Norton's kindergartners WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We have had interesting weather this week. The high temps have been in the 80's and the lows in the 60's. The humidity has been very high so when you walk out side it feels hot. Wednesday morning we awoke to severe foggy conditions. This was a concern as we were going to the pumpkin patch. The fog was gone by 10AM. Thursday was a rainy day in Warren. We received around a 1/2 inch of rain. We noted thunder at different times throughout the day. LAND & WATER: The grass is beginning to show signs of dying. Still some green patches of grass on the playground. Friday the playground was too wet and muddy for us to play outside. PLANTS: The leaves are beginning to turn and the children continue to bring in leaves from the playground. We have noticed a difference in the colors of the leaves brought in this week compared to those we found last week. ANIMALS: We saw a squirrel on the playground Monday and it was gathering acorns. PEOPLE: Light jackets are being brought to school, but it usually warms up in the afternoon and they are not needed. [33:27N 82:00W] USA Georgia, Augusta Brown's Home School, Ms. Brown's kindergartner Our PowerPoint slides. WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Weather here is in the mid 70's in the afternoons. It has been overcast and slightly rainy the past two days. Before that, the temperature was mid 80's and sunny. PLANTS: Sycamore trees are dropping sycamore balls and the leaves are yellowing. Live oaks are mostly green still. Crepe myrtles have some red leaves now, but also still a few pink blossoms. Dogwoods are starting to get a few red leaves. Flowers are still blooming, but with less frequency, and their leaves are yellowing or reddening (lantana, spanish heather, zinnias, sedum, etc.) Hostas still look fine. More leaves on the ground. Fall fruits like pears and muscadines are nearing the end of their season but are still bearing fruit. Pine trees are shedding light brown needles, but of course the trees stay green year round. There is a fresh covering of pine straw under all pines. ANIMALS: Squirrels are busy with acorns. Not many mosquitos and other annoying insects out now, so it's much more pleasant to be outside. PEOPLE: People are wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts, or long pants and short sleeves. Light jackets in the evening for some--depending on the individual. [33:23N 111:56W] USA Arizona, Tempe Kyrene del Norte School, Ms. Cress's third graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The temperatures are getting cooler. Our temperatures this week ranged from the mid 70's in the morning to the low 90's in the afternoon. It has been cloudy and overcast a few days. Today, Friday, it is really cloudy and it will only go up into the 80's. The air is a little more humid than usual because of the clouds. We are so excited because it is raining this morning, and there is a 50% chance of more rain today and tomorrow. We just went to the outside door at our school and looked at the rain. Rain is so rare that we get really excited about it, just like some people get excited about seeing snow. LAND & WATER: The ground in the desert is cracked, dry, and dusty, because we haven't had much rain. Our water comes from canals and reservoirs. Yards that are watered are still green, if they have grass. A lot of people have gravel in their front yards instead of grass. Our swimming pool water is cool now so most people are not swimming, unless their pool is heated. PLANTS: Some of the cactus and other plants in the desert have turned brown because we haven't had very much rain this year. The summer grass is dying and winter grass has been planted. Some of the leaves are changing colors to yellow. The pine trees are starting to drop pine cones. Many flowers are blooming in yards because we use sprinklers to keep them alive. ANIMALS: Some birds are migrating. Flocks of birds have been seen flying and heard in trees. PEOPLE: Everyone is still wearing T-shirts and shorts to school. We don't need to wear any sweaters or coats yet, except in the school room where the air conditioning keeps it really cold. [32:13N 95:13E] USA Texas, Whitehouse Holloway Middle School, Ms. Warren's sixth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Students report that is wet here. We have had rain. The days are shorter and cooler. High temperatures about 85 degrees and lows around the 60s. The sky is clear and blue one day and the next it is gray and cloudy as the rain begins to fall. PLANTS: Students report seeing leaves falling from the trees on their bus ride to school. Some report having to help parents rake leaves in their yard. Leaves are chaging colors though most are still green. PEOPLE: Some students report needing jackets to wear as they wait for their bus in the morning and wishing they had left them home on the trip back to their house. Blankets taken to football games to sit on are reported to be seen draped around shoulders by the end of the game. 0THER: Acorns are plentiful. Squirrels are seen gathering the winter store or food. [29:46N 95:23W] USA Texas, The Woodlands The Woodlands Christian Academy, Ms. Stahl's sixth graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The sky has been very gray for the last week. Very foggy and lots and lots of rain. It remains pretty humid out kind of warm. We are looking forward to the weather getting chillier. LAND & WATER: The land is very wet due to the rain. Most of the ground is muddy and the earth worms are loving it. PLANTS: The grass is growing slower, however it appears healthy. Some of the leaves are starting to turn reds and yellows. ANIMALS: We have seen a few rabbits looking for food in our scene. They can hide well in the tall grasses and scamper behind the trees. [29:37N 81:49W] USA Florida, Hollister The Children's Academy, Ms. Cadwallader's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Summer returned again. It was hot and humid. We had a thunderstorm and lots of rain. Our soccer game got rained out. Day time temps were in the high 80s ° F. LAND & WATER: No changes this week PLANTS: Sunflowers and fall flowers are still beautiful. [29:27N 98:30W] USA Texas, Converse Converse Elementary School, Ms. Boyle's kindergartners We live in south Texas. Our city is Converse. It is near San Antonio. We have flat land around us. There are not many lakes or hills. Our schoolās name is Converse Elementary. We are in Kindergarten. We are 5 and 6 years old. Our teacherās name is Mrs. Boyle. Today is a sunny and warm day. It feels very nice to us because the summer was very hot. The temperature is about 85 degrees in the afternoon. We wear shorts or skirts and short sleeve shirts during the day. It gets dark about 7:30 at night. The leaves have not fallen off the trees yet. We think the leaves will change colors and fall soon. 54:52N-40:00N | 39:59N-29:27N | Firsts | Map | Quest