Fall is a time of beautiful transitioning with Mother Nature revealing amazing colors. 

• Conduct a tree study and chromatography experiment identifying the mixture of chemicals and sunlight needed to produce critical energy for the tree throughout the seasons.  Then, dive deep into a leaf lab and explore how the colors of Ohio trees are a result of chemicals reacting to each other, making every fall season unique.  The chemical balance found inside the leaves will always change because of weather. 

• Then, head to the trails to observe the incredible preparations nature makes for winter as we discuss animal hibernation in Ohio’s wilderness.

• Fall is a special time for stargazers.  You can get your last look at summer stars and, if you stay up late, your first look at winter stars!  Best of all, it gets dark earlier, and the night temperatures are still reasonable.  Learn how to use your greatest telescope, your very own eyes, to witness the wonders of the night sky.  Discover how to use apps to identify constellations and planets.  Study the constellations and uncover the secrets to finding evidence of meteors at state parks and even in your own backyard.  Get hooked on astronomy through hands-on STEM activities.

• Decorate a pumpkin that will soon be ready for launch.  Experiment with the principles of angle, trajectory, velocity and energy to investigate launching techniques.  Discover the physics behind a slingshot in a STEM lab and test the transformation of energy by shooting pumpkins in multiple slingshot challenges.