Fall is a time we see many changes in nature.  Leaves change colors, animals prepare for winter and frost may greet us in the morning as temperatures get cooler.  It is an excellent time for getting outdoors.

How do you know it is fall?

Author:  Ruth Owen

Age: 4-8

Nonfiction

Series:  Signs of the Seasons

Talks more about the signs of fall rather than why fall happens.  Looks at plants, animals and human activities.  Offers a fall treasure hunt of things to see, hear, do and collect.

Why is it fall? 

Author: Sara L. Latta

Age:  5-7

Nonfiction

Series:  Why do we have seasons

Explores why we have seasons, what happens to plants and animals and what humans do in the fall as well.  Provides an experiment regarding whether leaves need sunlight to change colors.

How do you know it is fall?

Author: Molly Aloain

Age: 5-8    

Nonfiction

Series:  Seasons Close-Up

This is an age appropriate comprehensive look at fall including weather changes. Each page include some fun facts or asks children “What do you think?” questions such as “What three things do you like about fall?”

Why do leaves fall from trees?

Author:  Ruth Owen

Age: 5-6

Nonfiction

Series:  Little Scientists, Big Questions

Looks at this one aspect of fall but in more detail than other books.  Goes through the life cycle of leaves, introduces chlorophyll, discusses how dead leaves get used by some animals and why some trees stay green during winter.  The age range is given by the publisher but it may be more appropriate for slightly older children.

Art for Fall

Author:  Rita Storey

Age: 8-11

Nonfiction

Series:  The Outdoor Art Room

After a brief discussion of what is fall, this book offers up a variety of arts and crafts projects using materials from outdoors including a bug hotel for the winter, a pine cone lion and apple stencil wrapping paper.  Activities require some adult supervision.

Explore

These books offer many activities to explore fall.  Collecting leaves or looking for frost on plants or frosted outlines of spider webs on the ground are some options.  You may also wish to track leaf color changes in your neighborhood –which were the first trees to change leaf colors and which trees were the last.  You may wish to go to a pumpkin farm or an apple orchard and pick your own fruit. Count how many squirrels you see collecting nuts.  The activities are endless.