October 2003 Week 5 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 OTHER: Today is our last day before we break up for Hallowe'en. At Hallowe'en we always go Trick or Treating and dunk for apples. Everyone likes to let off fireworks ,but its illegal unless you have a license.The clocks went back an hour on Saturday night ,so we got an extra hour in bed! That means its a little lighter in the morning and much darker at night. At Hallowe'en we also dress up and play practical jokes on each other to celebrate the evil sprits going away. [53:31N 113:19W] CANADA Alberta, Sherwood Park New Horizons School, Ms. Mouallem's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: It has turned cold. The weeks that have passed unseasonably warm have turned to below average. The sky has been grey and snow has fallen. LAND & WATER: Water is starting to freeze at the edges. The land has a new coat of snow. PLANTS: Everything has gone to sleep. Dormant for the long winter ahead. ANIMALS: Animals are ready for the winter. People have put straw in their dogs' doghouses, some have put coats and booties on their dogs for walking them. Almost everyone has put out their birdfeeders. PEOPLE: People are bundled up. Some were caught by surprise and were not dressed for the weather. They were very cold! CONCLUSIONS: We have seen a transformation in our area. From leaves fluttering to the ground, violent windy days, warm Indian summer to snow and cold. Fall is over here in central Alberta. Winter is coming. [53:00N 00:00W] UNITED KINGDOM England, Waltham The Leas Infants School, Ms. Smith's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather this week has been cooler. The temperature has been between 7 - 12C during the day. We have had some frost at night. We have some sunshine and some dull days. On Friday it was wet and windy. PLANTS: The wind has blown most of the leaves off the trees. The summer flowers are now finished. The rain has made the grass look greener. ANIMALS: We are seeing squirrels collecting nuts. Most of the birds that migrate for the winter have gone now. PEOPLE: People are having to collect up the fallen leaves. There are lots around. Everyone has been wearing their thicker coats. People have got their scarves, gloves and hats out ready to wear. OTHER: On Saturday night October 25th we put our clocks back one hour. That meant that we got an extra hour in bed on Sunday morning. It is lighter in the mornings now but it gets darker earlier in the evenings. We would like to tell you what we are going to do during our half term holiday. Charlotte: Next week we are having our half term holiday. I am going to Heidi's fancy dress party. I am dressing up as a princess. Soon I am going on holiday to watch the fireworks in my caravan. Matthew R: During half term it is Halloween. I am going to be a vampire. I am going to a Halloween party and I am going to have my own Halloween party. Daniel is sleeping at my house on Friday. I can't wait till Daniel comes to my house. Jenny: During half term it is Halloween and I am going to make a pumpkin lantern. It may be a good one unless my brother messes it up! I hope Halloween will be a nice one and a scary one and that there will be lots of sweets around. CONCLUSIONS: We have enjoyed finding out about autumn in other places. We liked looking at the photos. We know now that you can see autumn trees in lots of places at this time of year. [45:19N 75:40W] CANADA Ontario, Ottawa Elizabeth Park Public School, Ms. Chartrand's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Once again, we have had a week full of differences. Early in the week, the temperature was between 5 and 7 degrees Celcius. The sky was grey and we had lots of rain. We had to stay in for recess a couple of days. When we did go out and play, it was hard to stay clean - there was lots of mud and we all wanted to play in it! By Friday, the temperature had changed dramatically - it felt like spring. It was 17 degrees Celcius on Friday. It was supposed to rain that day but it didn't. The night was perfect for trick-or-treating. LAND & WATER: We still have not seen much change in the land - it is still covered with leaves that have fallen from the trees. The grass is no longer green. Because of all the rain we have had, there are lots of puddles and quite a bit of mud. The temperature has not gone down below zero in awhile so the water is not freezing. The Rideau Canal is being drained to get it ready for the winter when it freezes and becomes the longest skating rink in the world. PLANTS: Most of the leaves are off the trees now. The ones on the ground are very wet and stick to our boots when we walk through them. Our parents need to rake them up but it is hard because of all the rain. All the pumpkins in the field have been harvested. The pine trees are still green but nothing else is growing. ANIMALS: The only animals we see regularily are the squirrels. We think they must like the weather because they can still easily gather food. The blue jays and cardinals are at our birdfeeders but, they too, are still able to find food on their own. Our pets have grown thicker fur to keep them warm in the coming winter. PEOPLE: Everyone is starting to get ready for winter but it is hard because the temperatures have been so warm for the last couple of days. It is still cool in the morning so we dress warmly but by the afternoon, we don't even need our coats. The Christmas decorations are in the stores now and we have started to think about our Christmas lists! Soon we will start practising for our Holiday play at school. OTHER: CONCLUSIONS: We have realized that even though the season changes, sometimes the weather doesn't. If we closed our eyes and just felt the temperature on Friday, it would seem as though it was spring. When we think back to last fall, we also realize that some things happen again and again each year. It's just that some years, they take longer to happen! Some of us are happy to see the signs or autumn because that means that winter is on the way and we can ski and tobaggan. We had a good time taking part in Signs of Autumn. It was fun to record the changes here and even more fun to read about everyone else's findings. [43:07N 79:01W] USA New York, Grand Island Kaegebein Elementary School, Ms. Hartman's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Our autumn weather was variable again this week. We started with days of cloudy gray skies with a lot of rain, but ended the week with 2 lovely, warm, sunny afternoons. Our temperatures throughout the week ranged from lows in the 30sf to a high of 70f. LAND & WATER: The ground is still covered with leaves as they fall from the trees. Some of us have chestnuts and acorns falling from our trees too. It has been too warm for any water to freeze, not even puddles in the parking lot have frozen yet. PLANTS: Mums are still blooming and we are surprised to see that some of our summer geraniums are still flowering in our home gardens! On our nature walk at "Eco Island" (a parcel of land our district has set aside for nature study) we saw dried up goldenrod, ragweed, wild carrot, and teasel. Although most blooms were done for the season, there were a few purple asters still in bloom. ANIMALS: On our nature walk at "Eco Island" we saw many signs of animals we might not ordinarily notice. We saw many lady bugs still flying around in the fields and a few small snakes scurrying. We observed signs of animals such as fur that had been shed by coyotes that live in Grand Island and a few bird feathers. We did see more Canada geese resting near our school after not seeing any for a few weeks. PEOPLE: We were lucky that we were able to spend one of the two nice days we had outdoors when we went on our trip to "Eco Island". We brought heavy coats and gloves, but did not really need them. Another sign of autumn in Grand Island are pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns that decorate many of our homes. Our class did a math lesson carving 7 pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns and counting the seeds. We counted 3,261 pumpkin seeds! We look forward to roasting and eating them. CONCLUSIONS: We learned to take time to observe events in nature instead of taking so much for granted. We compared and discussed seasonal changes due to location so we could realize how where you live affects your life. Locating and sharing our observations with other schools and comparing them was interesting. For example, we were fascinated to learn that in Arizona in autumn, tarantulas can be observed migrating! We can't wait to participate in "Signs of Spring" in March. [42:54N 90:56W] USA Wisconsin, Bloomington River Ridge Middle School, Ms. Miller's students WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather has been very cold as of late. It has produced frost and rain. The sky is cloudy and the night sky is black with do stars. The sun is there, but you cannot feel its rays or see its silhoute. LAND & WATER: The land has been covered in droplets of rain and dew. Lakes and water ways have not yet frozen over, but soon may do so PLANTS: Most plants have lost their splendid colors and have went into hibernation. They will appear again new and beautiful next spring and bring a new beginnings to the world. ANIMALS: Animals are starting to gather nuts, berries, and other food to hibernate. Some birds are flying south to where it is warmer. PEOPLE: Football play-offs began this week and fans crowed around the field to see their champions play. Fans dressed warmly in their winter coats and sweatshirts. CONCLUSIONS: I learned that most places in the U.S have about the same weater yearly. The tempurature changes quite a bit though. I learned that most of the southern states usually have a much better tempuature then us! We learned that many things differ in areas and that things change slowly. [42:44N 73:41W] USA New York, Green Island Heatly School, Ms. Kirch's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather was very strange this week. It rained and flooded streets Monday and Tuesday. Dark and cloudy skies all day. The temperatures were in the 30's fahrenheit. We saw the sun most of the day on Thursday and Friday. Halloween the temperature reached 70 degrees! LAND & WATER: Rivers over flowed! Big puddles in many streets. PLANTS: Our garden looks dead. Only the yellow marigolds are in bloom. We need to clean it out and pack leaves over the dirt. ANIMALS: We found wooly caterpillars on our field trip Friday. We went to a pumpkin patch. The wooly caterpillars were hiding in the leaves and grass. They have a very think stripe of black on their backs! It was about 1 inch wide! That means a cold snowy winter. PEOPLE: We wore winter coats at the beginning of the week but just jackets or sweaters by Friday. OTHER: CONCLUSIONS: Our Indian summer weather came in time for Halloween! Will it be a cold winter? The wooly caterpillar says yes. The leaves are almost gone. Windy days have taken care of them! [42:43N 71:11W] USA Massachusetts, Methuen Marsh Grammar School, Mr. Lawton & Mrs. Beauchesne's third graders CONCLUSIONS: Our classes have completed the observations of autumn in New England. We found it to be an enjoyable and education experience. Walking tours of our school grounds made us more aware of nature at its most colorful. We saw the trees changing from their green outfits to outfits of many colors. The red, yellows, and oranges were spectacular. We even saw trees wearing purple! Now we're beginning to see that most of the trees have shed their leaves. The temperatures went from mild to downright chilly then back up again. I guess we found out that you never know what to expect with New England weather. [42:32N 71:31W] USA Massachusetts, Littleton Shaker Lane School, Ms. Smith's kindergartners WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The sky is blue in Littleton today, after heavy rains earlier in the week. Halloween is going to be an Indian Summer treat- it will be unseasonably warm - great weather for trick or treating! Temperatures are close to 60 during the day and in the 30s at night. LAND & WATER: The grass isn't growing much and there are so many acorns! PLANTS: The trees are pretty bare now. Most of the leaves are on the ground. ANIMALS: The birds are flocking, but we did see one left behind Robin this week! The squirrels and chipmunks are very busy chattering and scurrying around when we are at recess. The bees are sluggish but still stinging when aggravated! We are also seeing a lot of "stink bugs". They are trying to come into buildings for the warmth. If you touch them your hands and the air around you have an unpleasant odor. PEOPLE: People are wearing long pants, long sleeves and sweatshirts or jackets. Some days a Winter coat is needed! A lot of our friends have Autumn sore throats and colds. [42:07N 88:16W] USA Illinois, Carpentersville Sunny Hill School, Ms. Grande's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The temperature has dropped into the 30s (degrees F) in the evening, but midday highs have reached the low 70â s. (Degrees F) This week we have had sunny days with the sun shining brightly, but weâve also had some gloomy looking days with cold, drizzly rain. We noticed it gets darker earlier and lighter earlier; and that's because in Illinois we changed back from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time on Sunday Oct. 26th. That means we've moved our clocks back one hour. As it gets colder, the hours of daylight gets shorter. We've also seen a few light snow flurries, but no snow is sticking on the ground. LAND & WATER: The ground is getting harder. We observed frost on the ground, plants and trees, and even some ice at the edge of ponds. The ground is colder; too cold to go around outside with bare feet. PLANTS: Plants are dying off. There are only a few plants that have flowers. The grass is thinner and not as green. ANIMALS: We are still seeing a lot of squirrels scampering about gathering nuts. We still see flocks of birds in the sky migrating south. Animals that have fur are warmer than us. Some animals may be hibernating for the winter PEOPLE: People are wearing coats, sweaters, gloves and hats. People are drinking hot tea and chocolate to keep warm. Families are staying in their houses instead of being active outside. They are also lighting fires in fireplaces to make their homes feel warm and cozy. People are turning on the heat and turning off the air conditioning in their homes. OTHER: The tree outside our room has lost almost all its leaves. It looks bare against the sky. CONCLUSIONS: The more we study weather, the more we can learn about it and why it changes. Weâve become better observers, and weâve learned more about the earth as weâve completed this project. Weâve really noticed the change of seasons this year, and will recognize the changes easier in the future. [42:02N 88:17W] USA Illinois, Elgin St. Mary School, Ms. Gilbert's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The temperature ranged from a low of 29 F to 66 F this week. We had rainy days and sunny days. On Tuesday we went on a field trip in our town. We wore warm coats because it was only 49 F and rainy. On Friday it was sunny and 62 F. PLANTS: The leaves continue to fall from the trees. Our city workers are busy picking up leaves that people rake in the streets. ANIMALS: Animals are still busy gathering food for the winter. PEOPLE: The time changed back to standard time last week-end. It is beginning to look like winter is coming.We have less time to play outside after school. Today was an exciting day at school. It was 62 F at lunchtime. We didn't need to wear our jackets outside. We had a Halloween party in the afternoon. The weather will be great for Halloween trick and treating. CONCLUSIONS: We enjoyed comparing the weather in different parts of the world and our country. We learned that there is a wide range of temperatures in Octoberin our area. We are looking forward to Signs of Spring , so we can compare the seasons. [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 and warm this week. The nights were cool. The day temperatures were in the high 40s to lower 70s. Night temperatures were in the upper 30s to upper 50s. The week was mostly sunny. It was a beautiful week. LAND & WATER: Land and Water: The ground is cool and muddy. The water is cool. PLANTS: Plants: Many of the trees are now bare. Most of the plants have died. ANIMALS: Animals: There are only a few insects outside. We saw some wild animals this week. We have lots of ladybugs flying around our school. PEOPLE: People: At the beginning of the week we wore our thick jackets, but by the end of the week we were wearing thin jackets and sweaters. OTHER: Other: The days are getting even shorter and it is getting darker sooner. The sun is setting at 5 p.m. now. It was so warm and sunny out that we had a fire drill today. We also had our costume parade outside. We had lots of fun at our Fall Party. CONCLUSIONS: We have enjoyed watching for the signs of autumn and reading everyone's observations. Thanks!!! [41:42N 74:22W] USA New York, Ellenville Ellenville Elementary School, Ms. Sharoff's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: What a crazy week! We had heavy rains on Monday and Wednesday. So heavy, that the school canceled all after school activities. The rest of the week we saw temperatures that are normal for New York in October -- mid to upp 50s. On Friday, Halloween, we had a FABULOUS sunny day. The temperature was in the mid 60s. Looks like we will have a wonderful night for all the ghouls and goblins to go haunting. PLANTS: The tree that we have been watching since the beginning of the project has finally lost all of its leaves (except for about 6 leaves that just refuse to fall). The only thing left on the branches are the 'cherries'. ANIMALS: The squirrel has definitely holed up for the winter. There has been absolutely no sign of him. The turkeys have gone deeper into the woods -- noone in the class has seen any this week. There are still plenty of deer around. PEOPLE: We have been wearing rain gear and heavier jackets since the mornings have been quite chilly. In the afternoons on the sunny days it looked like we could go outside without a jacket, but that was deceiving -- it was actually quite cold. CONCLUSIONS: Reading back over our observations over the course of this project we noticed that even though at the beginning things did not seem to change much from week to week there was a definite difference from the first week of the project to now. Especially when it came to our tree. We all had a wonderful time observing various things and it really made us pay close attention to our environment. [41:14N 84:07W] USA Ohio, Holgate Holgate Elementary School, Ms. Wagner & Ms. Burkhart's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: It has been very cool and damp this past week, but the weather man has promised us warmer weather for the upcoming weekend. He has said there is a possibility of snow within the next couple weeks. There has been more wind lately when we are outside. LAND & WATER: The ponds are covered with leaves, not ice. The ground feels very wet and is covered with leaves. PLANTS: The flowers are all looking very brown and dry now. Harvesting corn, and planting wheat is what the farmers are doing in the fields. Under the leaves, the grass is very green. The leaves are like a blanket that keep the grass warm and damp. ANIMALS: The birds are happy about soybean harvest. When farmers take their wagons of beans to the elevator, some fall out along the road. This is easy food for hungary birds. A crane was spotted flying along a ditch and deer were in a big open area with trees looking for food. The outside cats are getting their heavy winter coats so they can keep warm on cold winter days. Some birds stay in our area, and on warm days they fill trees. PEOPLE: This past week, our cheeks and noses are red after recess. We had to wear heavy jackets outside to keep us warm. Raking leaves is still an outside activity as well as a good football game. OTHER: One of this weekâs pictures was of the trees along the Maumee River. It was taken by our principal, Mrs. Snyder. The other picture is of our hands and two of the leaves off different trees in our area. We found that our hands are one-fourth the size of one of the leaves and equal in size to another! CONCLUSIONS: We have had so much fun watching the signs of autumn in our area and around the world. Our new friends have shown us that autumn looks different, yet sometimes very much similar all over. As student observers, we plan to continue watching the season change and hope to hear from you in the spring. [41:01N 73:45W] USA New York, White Plains George Washington Elementary School, Ms. McPartlin's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Our weather has been unseasonably warm. Temperatures have been in the 70s! Indian Summer is upon us! LAND & WATER: Land and water are still looking the same. The temperature of the water is much cooler. The grass is getting browner. PLANTS: Many trees have changed colors and have lost their leaves. Leaves blow all around. ANIMALS: There seem to be fewer animals around. We have seen a few on the road. PEOPLE: People are out more and raking leaves. They are wearing lighter clothes and enjoying the warmer weather. It is darker earlier, so they are not out as much. CONCLUSIONS: Our class has become more aware of the world around us and even in our own backyards. We have a new appreciation for nature and the changing climate. Some of us look forward to winter and the snow, others would prefer the warm weather to remain! Thank you for allowing us to take time to see the changes around us! We have enjoyed all of your reports and hope you all have a wonderful winter! [40:28N 80:03W] USA Pennsylvania, McKees Rocks Sto-Rox Elementary School, Ms. Raymond's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The week started off chilly. Then it was nice. It was warm for Halloween. The sun was in the sky almost every day. LAND & WATER: The land was covered with leaves. When we walked, it went crunch. PLANTS: Some plants are still alive. The mums look pretty. The trees are very colorful. Many leaves are on the ground. We saw this on the hike. ANIMALS: Ladybugs are everywhere. Squirrels are still running around. PEOPLE: We wear coats then take them off at recess. On Friday, we were sweating. OTHER: We took a hike with Mr. Baldasare and other first grade classes. We went up this hill and into the woods. We picked different leaves. We sorted them by color and shape. We found acorns, too. Scientists this week are Cassandra, Dallas, Cheyenne, Karen and Addie. We had a great time comparing weather. CONCLUSIONS: We had a great time observing weather. We compared our weather with a first grade class in Canada. We charted this weekly. Some weeks we had the same kind of weather. We had fun. [40:24N 80:11W] USA Pennsylvania, Oakdale Donaldson Elementary School, Ms. Huling's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather here has been extremly mild this week. The high temperature on Friday was 75 degrees which is very rare here for October 31! Ten years ago on October 31 we had over 6 inches of snow! We had our Halloween parade in the afternoon. It was very warm and sunny with a nice breeze. But snow is predicted in northwest Ohio within the next couple weeks. LAND & WATER: Leaves continue to blow around outside. We did have one day that was a little wet and muddy beside the playground. PLANTS: Although there are still some trees with beautiful red and gold leaves,many trees are bare. ANIMALS: Main news about the animals this week are that the ladybugs are here, again. The newspapers and television stations tell us that they have been more prevalent this year. PEOPLE: We are enjoying the time when we do not have to wear our coats to recess. We know that wil change soon. OTHER: On Friday we had our Halloween parade and party. Some of the mothers came in to help us celebrate. We sang songs, heard stories, made yarn spiders, played games and, of course, had lots of treats. CONCLUSIONS: After a cooler than normal beginning, this autumn has turned out to be one of the nicest ones in a while. The changes in the weather have allowed us to experience many temperatures, quickly changing weather and an interest in the weather in many areas of the world. We are glad to be a part of this project and look forward to coming back in the spring to learn more. Our science unit on weather from ASSET will begin in the late winter, so by that time we should be expert meteorologists! Goodbye until "Signs of Spring". In the menatime you can follow our learning journey on our website . [40:22N 80:32W] USA West Virginia, Colliers Colliers Elementary School, Mr. Bennet's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: What a beautiful week it's been here in WV. The beginning of the week was warm but rainy. Wed-Friday has been great with lots of sun, warm temperatures in the 60s and then 70s by this weekend. Great weather when our students go trick-or-treating tonight (Friday, Oct. 31). Beautiful blue sky without a cloud in sight. LAND & WATER: The ground is completely covered with leaves everywhere. Crunch, crunch, crunch is heard as your walk from yard to yard. Lots of large Halloween bags are filled with leaves. Lawnmowers are running trying to cut up and bag the leaves before it gets too cold to pick them up. This weekend will be a great time to get outside and do lots of yard work and get ready for Thanksgiving. PLANTS: The flowers are just about gone and so are the leaves on the trees. Most leaves are off the trees and are on the ground. The trees are not as beautiful now because they are bare. ANIMALS: Animals are getting scarce. We see an occasional chipmunk, cat, or bird outside our window but most of the animals are gone. PEOPLE: This week we're back to wearing light coats, pants, and short sleeve shirts. Everyone is outside enjoying the beautiful weather. A lot of people will be outside tonight trick or treating. OTHER: Our teacher went to Parris Island, South Carolina last Thursday and Friday for his son's graduation from Marine Corps Boot Camp. Good luck Christopher. That was a 1400 mile round trip drive from WV to SC. CONCLUSIONS: Had a great time reading other school's reports. We've e-mailed a few and hope to e-mail more schools during the year. Thanks to all the schools that have sent in reports from their little part of the world. [40:17N 74:03W] USA New Jersey, Eatontown Harbor School, Ms. Greebel's students Mr. Butera's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: It rained early in the week and then it became very sunny. It got warmer each day of the week. Today it is 72 degrees F. We wonder if we will ever see frost! The days are getting shorter, especially since we turned the clocks back. PLANTS: Leaves continue to change colors and fall to the ground. CONCLUSIONS: The weather here has been unseasonally warm. Many of our trees are still green, including one we have been photographing. We enjoyed reading about autumn in other parts of our country, Canada, and Great Britain. We now waiting for signs of spring. [40:04N 74:12W] USA New Jersey, Brick Brick Community Primary Learning Center, Ms. MacDougall's students WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: What a beautiful week! Today the temperatures were in the 70's F. We had a great Halloween parade (actually 3 - A.M. Kindergarten, Pre-school and P.M. Kindergarten. LAND & WATER: Some frost, but not a hard frost yet. PLANTS: Snapdragons are still blooming along with the marigolds and chrysanthemums! ANIMALS: We have seen some birds migrating. We also some turtles (ninja) and horses (spirit) in the parade today. PEOPLE: People are wearing long sleeves and long pants but not jackets this week. It is too warm. CONCLUSIONS: We have enjoyed reading your reports and seeing the pictures. Our picture of the tulip trees are finally showing a fall look. We thank Nancy for organizing this telecollaborative project and improving it each year. What a terrific job she does! Keep up the good work. We look forward to this every year! Thanks! 54:52N-40:00N | 39:59N-29:27N | Firsts | Map | Quest