Sunlight & Seasons Signs of Fall: Observations for December Today's Reminder Includes: How the Season is Changing >> Outdoor Observations for December: The Shadow Knows! >> Resources to Explore >> Noon on the winter solstice. But where? Take a closer look! >> How the Season is Changing How does a woolly bear caterpillar cope with winter? It hibernates under a log or rock! In the spring, it gobbles grass and weeds. Then it spins a cocoon. What emerges a week or so later? Roll your mouse over the picture to see. (Click for a larger photo.) Photos: 1) Bob Congdon, 2) Everett Cashatt, IL State Museum Autumn in North America is winding down, and the winter solstice is just 3 weeks away. The first snows have fallen. Brrr! Last month, third graders in Minnesota found lots of woolly bear caterpillars around the schoolyard. Another observer spotted "a huge flock of robins stripping all the berries from my yard." That's a big clue. As temperatures drop, earthworms burrow deep in the soil. Hungry robins must switch from their wormy diet to a fruit-filled one. Also, robins don't mingle much during the breeding season. If they're in flocks, winter must be coming! What's happening in your schoolyard, and what does it tell you? Outdoor Observations for December: The Shadow Knows! During your monthly observations of outdoor changes, what have you noticed about the shadow of your meter stick, flag pole, or other object? Be sure to take a measurement at noon on the winter solstice: December 21. What do you think might happen to shadows after that date? It begins slowly. But check back each month, and you'll soon figure it out! Don't forget to add your December observations to your Signs of Fall journal, checklist, or handout (see Resources, below). Young people in Montreal, Canada wave to their shadows on the winter solstice! (Photo: Owen Rose) Resources to Explore Student Journal: Signs of Fall >> Handout: Watching the Seasons Change: Grades K-3 >> Fall Checklist: Grades 4+ >> Teachers: About Signs of the Seasons >> Share: Exchange Observations with a Partner! >> Report your observations! (Choose "Signs of Fall" or other events.) >> Maps: Signs of Fall / Other Fall Events Handout: Signs of Fall: Clues About Seasonal Change >> Lesson: Exploring Sunlight and Shadows >> Photos from Space: How is sunlight changing? >> Coming in January: Signs of Spring! A reminder will be posted on January 1, 2009

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