Late October in the British Isles…
…when the sun sets before six and the last of the harvest comes in.
§ The story
The Earth is a ball, spinning as it circles the sun. And it is TIPPED, like a wobbly top. When our half of the world is tipped AWAY from the sun, we get autumn. That is all autumn really is. A lean.
Because we are leaning away, the sun sits lower in the sky and the days grow shorter. The animals notice first. The squirrels bury nuts. The hedgehogs eat and eat, ready to sleep for months. The swallows have already flown to Africa.
The farmers bring in the last of the harvest — apples, pears, quinces, the last blackberries. And on the last Sunday of October, all the clocks in Britain go BACK by one hour. Everyone gets an extra hour in bed.
» You read this line
The Earth leans away from the sun.
» You read this line
The clocks go back one hour.
Close the book. Tell it back. Do the LEAN with your body when you say the first bit.
§ Tell it in three pictures
Three pictures: the tipped Earth leaning away from the sun, a full basket of apples, and a clock's hand jumping backwards.
Harder, go as far as you can — Under picture 2, write ONE fruit that ripens now.
Check yourself: Apple, pear, quince, or blackberry.
§ From 'To Autumn'
Say each little piece three times before adding the next. Notice how the words all feel soft in your mouth — mmm, sss, fff. Keats made them soft on purpose.
Illuminate — Illuminate the great letter S with curling apple peel.
§ Number page
You have a basket. You are picking apples.
Secret, do not tell Daddy until tonight
The very old English name for October was Winterfylleth. It means ‘winter is filling up’ — because the first full moon of October used to mark the start of winter.
Check yourself: a) 5 b) 4 c) 1 hour
§ Draw the inside
Draw one apple, sliced right through the middle from top to bottom. Show the skin, the crunchy flesh, the little brown pips in the star shape at the core, and the stalk.
drawn by me
Labels
§ Listening minute
Autumn has its own sounds. Sit still outside for one minute. What can you catch?
Would you hear any of these in July?
§ Move & notice
Catch
Walk outside at the same time each day for a week. Notice the light. Is it brighter or dimmer than yesterday?
Predict first
Guess whether Friday's walk will feel darker or brighter than Monday's.
§ The thinking question
Why do we still have harvest festivals in a country where hardly any of us are farmers now?
For your treasury book
HARVEST
From the Old English hærfest, which also meant autumn. To them, the season and the gathering were the SAME word.
Copy HARVEST into your treasury book. Draw one autumn fruit beside it.
Test the grown-up tonight — Ask a grown-up what happens to the clocks this Sunday. Are they sure which way they go?
§ For the corridor timeline
First, look at your timeline string. Does a panel for this century already hang there? If not, cut out the century panel below. Then clip the event card onto it.
AN EVERY-YEAR CARD
event cards clip below this line — leave room, more will come
Event card
CLOCKS GO BACK
The last Sunday of October: an hour of daylight moves from evening to morning.
draw the event here before you clip it up
§ Evening review
FOR MUMMY OR DAD
Morning ignition (10 minutes)
Today we watch the sky. The days are getting shorter because the Earth is TILTED, and our half of the world is leaning away from the sun.
The sealed question
“Where does the hour GO when the clocks go back?”
Evening review, in this order
Mark the badges (circle one for each)
One line worth remembering from today
the day is sealed here
Add to your week