In this Issue – Changes in Nature
Nature in the News and Feature Articles
1. Shedding Light on Fall Colours
2. Seeds on the Go!
Classroom Activities and Resources
1. Separating Colours in Fall Leaves using Chromatography
2. Preserving Fall Colour
3. Build a Seed ... on the Go!
4. Matching Seeds to Dispersal Methods Activity Sheet (download)
5. Simple Teaching Ideas for a Fall Walk in the Woods
6. Leaf Colour Change Demonstration PowerPoint Resource
7. RBG Staff Picks — recommended books, websites and resources
Ask a Naturalist
Why are the leaves so late to fall this year?

---

Nature in the News
One has to admit that this has been a strange autumn. Here we are into November, and many trees are still busy photosynthesizing. There were no leaf piles to leap in at Hallowe’en — is this an anomaly, or a harbinger of things to come?

Most of the world now agrees that human activity is fueling an unprecedented rise in global temperatures. The most recent UNEP Global Environmental Outlook report (GEO4) was launched on October 25 and paints a frightening picture of the potential consequences unless we all embrace a culture of stewardship and sustainability. Our first step in that process begins with helping children to fall in love with nature through first-hand outdoor experiences. We hope that this issue helps you to get your students outside and take advantage of the rich learning resources that nature provides at your doorstep.
The RBG Education Team

Shedding Light on Fall Colours
It’s that time of year –– daylight is slipping away, it’s time to change the furnace filter, get out warmer sweaters and invest in next spring by planting bulbs. Trees are preparing for winter as well. Like bulbs, trees store sugars and starches that will produce new growth in the spring. These sugars are produced in the leaves and the reactions that create and transfer them are all driven by the light of the Sun. More >>

Seeds on the Go!
Ask any child about plant mobility and they will inevitably characterize plants as pretty static. Though plants may not move in the human or animal sense, they certainly do get around. Plants have evolved ways to move to new areas by dispersing their seeds in some very ingenious ways, from taking advantage of wind, water, animals and fire, to catapulting their seeds from exploding pods. More >>

Classroom Activities and Resources
Separating Colours in Fall Leaves using Chromatography
Demonstrate various leaf pigments by separating them using chromatography. More >>

Preserving Fall Colour
Collect and preserve leaves. More >>

Build a Seed….on the Go!
Students create seeds structured for travel. More >>

Matching Seeds to Dispersal Methods Activity Sheet
Download pdf.

Simple Teaching Ideas for a Fall Walk in the Woods
Meet the natural hitchhikers on the trails. More >>

Leaf Colour Change Demonstration PowerPoint Resource
Three-part classroom presentation. More >>

RBG Staff Picks
Recommended books, websites and resources. More >>

Ask a Naturalist
Why are the leaves so late to drop this year?

Supported by

We welcome your questions and suggestions; email us at programs@rbg.ca.
For more on Royal Botanical Gardens educational activities please visit our website.

You have been sent this issue because you indicated that you were interested in receiving education / children’s programs information from Royal Botanical Gardens.
© 2007 Royal Botanical Gardens. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington, Ontario, Canada