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This Wondercast explores what happens to a deciduous tree every fall – dropping it's leaves. This tree, the Bald Cypress, however, is a conifer (like a pine tree) but it is one of only a few conifers that loose their leaves in the fall. The Wondercast explores these questions – “When do the leaves of a Bald Cypress tree fall off the tree?” and “How long does it take for a Bald Cypress tree to drop all it's leaves in the fall?” This Wondercast also takes a quick look at some of the weather that we experience in Michigan in the late fall.

Each Wondercast time-lapse also includes 10 scientist questions. Kids earn scientist points for each correct answer. These questions were designed for kids who are playing the Wondercast on their own. They help focus attention on how to use the interface and the kinds of information and relationships that can be discovered in a 4-H Children's Garden Wondercast.

If a teacher or parent is present, kids can be encouraged to ask their own questions. By carefully exploring Wondercasts, kids can engage in their own science discoveries. They will have new questions, explore the Wondercast to discover the answers and explore how weather changes might be related to their questions. In this way, Wondercasts become powerful learning experiences that will encourage kids to wonder and look more closely at the amazing changes that occur around them everyday.

As a teacher or parent you may want to use the Ginkgo and Bald Cypress Wondercasts together to explore the fall event of leaf drop in two quite different species. Here again, use the Wondecast as a starting point, encouraging kids to explore fall leaf drop in more detail by closely observing the trees at their school or home.

  • Encourage them to ask additional questions such as: “Can we find any other trees with needles that drop them in the winter?” “Do other trees at school (or home) loose their leaves at the same time as the Bald Cypress?” “Why do you think they would be the same or different?”
  • Carefully observe trees at your school or home to discover the answers.
  • You can also get local weather information (on-line or from your local weather service or TV station) that you can compare to the Wondercast weather information and relate to the leaf drop that you observe at school or home.
  • Encourage kids to think about other variables and changes that might be related to leaf drop, or even control it.
  • In addition, encourage kids to find out more about Bald Cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) to see if that might answers to why it looses its' needles in the fall.
  • Do we have other trees that are related to Bald Cypress that we use in our landscapes?
  • Do these trees act the same as Bald Cypress?
  • Encourage kids to find and consult local experts or to contact “Dr. Norm” for more information.
  • You could also encourage kids to compare the weather in the Wondercast with their weather with weather in another part of the country. How are they the same, how are they different? If Bald Cypress were growing in each place would they all drop their leaves at the same time? Why do you think they would or why would they drop them at different times?

These are just a few ideas to get you and your kids going. You take it from here – ask lots of questions and be sure to have fun discovering the answers. As you work with the 4-H Children's Garden Wondercasts and create your own explorations, let us know what you are doing. When you come up with interesting Wondercast questions and answers, or if you invent interesting ways to teach using the 4-H Children's Garden Wondercast, please email us! please email us! Send email to “Dr. Norm” Lownds, lownds@msu.edu.

For kids (and teachers) using Wondercasts as part of classroom explorations, written questions and answer sheets and associations with National Science Standards are available by request. (Send email to garden@commtechlab.msu.edu.)

Below you'll find a quick view for parents and teachers of the QUESTIONS and OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS for the Cypress Tree timelapse.

Questions:

  1. What color are the needles on October 29th?
  2. What color are the needles on November 12th?
  3. On which day were there the most needles?
  4. What is the first day there are almost no needles?
  5. Which of these days has the most wind?
  6. From November 3rd through 8th, which day did it rain?
  7. Which of these days got the coldest?
  8. Which day was the warmest?
  9. On which day was there snow?
  10. What happened on November 25th?

How to Operate the Cypress Tree Fall Wondercast
(Worm Reporter)
October 29 through November 25, one image per day
(the exact same days as the Ginko Tree Timelapse)

October 29 through November 25, one image per day
(The Ginko and Cypress cover the same period.  Kids can compare what happens to these two trees during the same time period.)

There is one picture for each day. 

 Watch the full timelapse by clicking on the PLAY leaf. 

Move FORWARD or BACKWARD one step at a time by clicking the plus or minus leaf. 

 This arrow shows where you are in the timelapse.  You can click and drag the arrow to move around in time. 

Click on a calendar date to jump to that day.

Look closely at each picture. 

See how much wind blew during the whole day in miles per day.

See how much rain fell during the whole day in inches per day. 

See the high and low temperatures for each day.

You can answer questions to earn scientist points.

 Click on the Next leaf when you are ready for the first question. 

You'll see your tree scientist score near the top left of the screen. 

When the hint leaf appears you can click on it for hints about how to answer questions  Have fun and good luck.

Hey psssst!  You can also use the keyboard to move about the Wondercast.  Use the spacebar to play and pause.  Use the right and left arrows to move forward and backward.

Click on HQ to return to the Wondercast introduction, where you can choose a different timelapse.  Click on HELP to replay the help.

View other Wondercast Information for Parents and Teachers:

Jump to general parent and teacher wondercast information, or see information specific to the other timelapses:

Ginko Tree

Sweet Potato Leaves

Fall Clouds

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