As the earth moves around the sun, the amount of daylight or darkness we see changes, as do the seasons. Saturday, September 23rd, is the first official day of fall marked by the fall equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. The fall and spring equinoxes are the two days of the year where the amount of daytime and nighttime are equal. As autumn begins, we can see the world transform around us with temperatures dropping, days getting shorter, leaves changing color before shedding off the trees, and animals starting to migrate and prepare for winter.
Celebrate this colorful change of season with crafts, activities for indoors and out, and educational resources below. Learn all about the fall equinox, explore what causes the seasons, and how everyone from humans to animals react to the cooler weather. Then, keep the fun going with Learn Along Bingo sheets full of printable activities and everyday learning ideas for children grades Pre-K to 2!
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Learn About the Season
Seasons | Sesame Street
Grades PreK-K
Learn about the four seasons with Elmo and his friends! Explore language, vocabulary, and listening comprehension with these clips and classroom activity.
Travel Deep Inside a Leaf
Grades 5-12
As the autumn leaves change color, have you ever wondered what you would see if you could shrink down to fit inside a plant cell? In this video, take a look inside of a redwood tree! Learn about how leaf cells look and function.
Bicknell’s Thrush: Climate Change and Migration
Grades 6-12
Fall is the time for migration. Some birds, like the elusive Bicknell’s thrush, move from one region to another at certain times of the year. Join wildlife biologists as they track this rare migratory songbird that is under threat from climate change and human activity. Engage in discussions about animal migration, its drivers, and how climate change may affect these patterns.
Why Seasons Make No Sense | It’s Okay to Be Smart
Grades 9-12
Day by day, country by country, we tend to measure seasons differently. This video explains why we divide the years into seasons here in the Northern Hemisphere, how it lines up with the weather, and where the practice has its roots.
The Equinox Isn’t What You Think It Is | It’s Okay to Be Smart
Grades 9-12
Is the equinox really when day = night, or is that a myth? Learn about this scientific occurrence, and why the equinox (or latin for “equal night”) might actually be more complicated than you thought.
Crafts, Games & Activities
John Bunker’s Apple Pie
All Ages
Try this autumnal apple pie recipe from PBS Food and John Bunker. Making an apple pie is a delicious way to get the whole family ready for the fall season. If you want to keep your ingredients local, head out to the nearest apple orchard and pick your own!
Corn Maze Craze Game
Grades PreK-K
Your child can practice the fundamentals of engineering and programming in this maze-building game from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!
7 Fun Activities to Celebrate Fall
Grades PreK-3
The bright colors of autumn are the perfect inspiration for some fun fall crafts to do together with your kids!
SciGirls | Season Seeking
Grades 3-8
Observing plants and animals often involves noticing and recording seasonal changes over time. Every species moves through a series of life cycle stages that are related to environmental cues. The study of these life cycle stages is called phenology and the observable stages are called phenophases. This SciGirls activity guides a group through identifying, observing, and recording phenophases nearby.
Why Do We Have Seasons?
Grades 5-12
Explore what causes seasons on Earth in this interactive adapted from NASA materials that features four cities at different latitudes. Use this resource to view how Earth’s axial tilt causes seasons from different perspectives and to develop and use models of sunlight received at Earth’s surface.
Learn Along Bingo
With Learn Along Bingo, children can view, explore, and play as they learn alongside their PBS KIDS friends on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. We hope your family will use it to inspire learning each and every day.
This time, we’re celebrating fall! The changing of the seasons is a great time for children to compare and contrast objects and organisms. In this packet, learn how to investigate different plants by observing, asking questions, and taking steps to answer the questions!
Grades PreK-K
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
Grades 1-2
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Celebrating Fall Collection on PBS Kids for Parents.