Kids’ Corner

Autum brings change

By Loreena Thiessen

Take a look in your garden. Seeds you planted in spring have grown into sturdy plants. You may be eating fresh tomatoes and carrots, or juicy apples. Pumpkins are turning orange.

Grass is growing slowly and needs cutting less often. Certain flowers, like tulips and daffodils have finished blooming. Others, like geraniums, black-eyed Susans and bleeding hearts bloom long into fall if temperatures remain warm.

Trees begin to change. Green leaves turn yellow, brown and red. The change in colour comes as the sun appears lower in the sky and its rays are weaker. There are fewer sunlight hours as days grow shorter. With less sunlight the amount of chlorophyl (the chemical in leaves that produces their green colour) becomes less. Autumn colours emerge and take over. These colours, too, are caused by chemicals, flavonoids, carotenoids and anthocyanins, the same that give carrots and egg yolks their colour.

These are changes you see. You also feel change. Because the sun is no longer directly overhead, it now feels pleasantly warm, not burning hot as in summer, and nights are cool. The changes you see and feel bring about change in your actions. You need to prepare for the coming winter.

Fruits and vegetables are harvested and stored or canned. You check for warm clothes. Will your jacket, boots, and mitts keep out the cold? Do they still fit? You put away beach toys and warm weather clothing until next summer. You begin a new school year. You shop for supplies. You anticipate new experiences, new teachers, new friends, and seeing old ones again.

Animals sense change too. And so, they change. Some animals, such as hares and weasels, change colour from summer gray/ brown to winter white. Squirrels collect and hide their food supply for the winter. They bury nuts, acorns and pinecones in loose dirt in gardens, or under thick piles of branches or leaves. They fill their nests with natural or found items, like paper or pieces of cloth to keep out winter’s cold. Instinct tells them to prepare.

God created seasons to show us more of his character, who he is. In nature and with seasons, he created beauty, variety, and contrast. The diversity of animals and plants show his delight in variety.

Seasons give us hope. Something to look forward to. In spring we wait for the coming warmth, new growth, returning colours, and new activities. In fall we can rest from the hot summer. Winter is a quieter indoor time.

The returning seasons, a cycle that does not end, shows God is constant. He is the same yesterday, today, and into the future. God gives us this promise. Read James 1:17; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Genesis 8:22.

Activity: fall hunt

Need: notebook, pen/pencil, camera, bag or bucket for collectibles.

Do: take a fall walk in the park, your neighbourhood or back yard. Notice new changes. What do you see? What do you feel? What can you find?

Draw, take photos or collect items that show change.

Write or express how you feel. Share your findings.