It's that time of year when crisp fall weather can be felt as the sun sinks below the horizon. Sleeves grow a few inches and pants extend toward the floor once again. Fall brings many wonderful outdoor activities. Harvest season means farm visits and arboretum walks. Magnificent colors are soon on display. Fall is a plant biologist's dream as trees affected by photoperiodism stop producing chlorophyll at an increasingly rapid rate. Vibrant red and yellow pigments are left, heralding the arrival of the new season. But along with its beauty, fall also brings the onslaught of intermittent foul weather. The blustery wind surrounds you in frostiness before you've had a chance to acclimate to the change in temperature. Downpours of rain can catch you off guard and soak you in minutes. Sometimes those outdoor activities aren't so alluring and the call of warm, fuzzy slippers is more than you can resist.In moments like these it's nice to know there are some great indoor activities at your disposal. This is a fantastic opportunity to help your children develop new skills, both academic and social. A lot of natural science is found outside, but some pretty amazing science can happen inside as well.Just in case you are in need of some good science related indoor activities for the months ahead, we've put together a small list to get you started. Build an indoor ecosystem. When the weather turns cold and plants are harder to study, bring them indoors. Use these instructions to create a 3-level ecosystem that houses a spectrum of life from ponds and fish to bugs and plants. You'll be able to observe your ecosystem well into the winter months. Acorn crafts. Get in the fall spirit with these acorn crafts. Some of these ideas are even edible, making them a nature study you can really sink your teeth into. Explore chloroplasts with this visual display. In this fun hands-on experiment, you will get to blend the beauty of the outdoors with some creative indoor scientific exploration as you gather and then extract the pigments of various types of leaves. Discuss the pigments of chlorophyll (green), xanthophyll (yellow), carotenoid (yellow, orange), and anthocyanin (red). Talk about why some pigments are hidden in the summertime. Fall discovery bottles. Gather fall objects that are native to your area and then observe them up close with these handmade discovery bottles. Ask questions and make observations that can be recorded in your scientific journal. Take a virtual field trip. Travel around the globe from the comfort of your own home through one of the many available virtual field trips. Most are offered free of charge. This is a list of 10 great ones to get you started. Find a local science or children's museum. Aside from the dash to and from the car, indoor fun awaits at many local learning centers. Get out and socialize with other adventurous kids at a science center or children's museum. Some areas don't have one of these as an option, but you might be close to a college or university campus that offers some youth exploration options. Whatever science activities you settle on this fall, keep in mind that your indoor environment should be: Filled with play - play provides a way for your children to process their environment and experiences. Since their minds develop at such a rapid rate, it's important to make time in the day to help them contextualize their world through play. Filled with people - providing opportunities for your children to be exposed to many different people in their early childhood years will bring long-term comfort in social settings and the ability to form close-knit bonds with a larger circle of friends. Filled with teaching moments - your role as teacher in your child's life is critical. You are the most influential teacher they will have, regardless of the type of formal education they receive. Take the time for teaching moments, both small and large. Full of meaning - create an environment that provides multiple sources of stimulation to encourage the development of physical, cognitive, and emotional skills. Make it a place where activities have a purpose that further their global understanding of the world they live in. Full of wonder - embrace the questions. This can be a tough one when the barrage of questions continues to pour in, but childhood fascination will grow without bounds when simple questions are validated and responded to. Encourage them to let their minds wander and wonder about how things work, and be there to provide guidance and direction when they ask why. Parents have so much to offer their little learners, but don't underestimate the amount kids have to offer in return. Be open to a little wonderment yourself!
