All About Autumn

This program can be adapted for learners of all ages.

Program Description: Enjoy autumn's beauty at The Christopher Farm & Gardens and learn about the unique adaptations that plants and animals display during this special season in Wisconsin. Led by a program guide, students will travel the Turkey Trot Trail along the bluffs of Lake Michigan to observe how wildlife endures physical and/or behavioral changes to prepare for the upcoming winter season. This includes an investigation of plant behavior and their different modes of seed dispersal. Then take a short walk to the Nature Studies Center, where students will discover a collection of Wisconsin wildlife taxidermy. Various animal strategies for survival will be discussed in this hands-on activity.

Timeframe: 2 Hours : September – November

Educational Standards:

SCI.LS1.D: Animals sense and communicate information and respond to inputs with behaviors that help them grow and survive.

SCI. LS2.A.2: Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.

SCI. LS2.C.3: When the environment changes, some organisms survive and reproduce, some move to new locations, some move into transformed environments, and some die.

SCI. LS2.D.3: Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes.

SCI. LS2.D.h: Group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives.

SCI. LS4.C.3: Particular organisms can only survive in particular environments.

SCI. LS4.C.m: Species can change over time in response to changes in environmental conditions through adaptation by natural selection acting over generations.

SCI. LS4.C.h: Evolution results primarily from genetic variation of individuals in a species, competition for resources, and proliferation of organisms better able to survive and reproduce.

ELS.EX5.B.i: Describe how living things respond to changes in natural systems. Explain how changes affect how organisms adapt and survive. Observe and compare changes in weather and climatic patterns and how each affect natural systems.