🧭 Sample · made-up content
Guided learning
Instead of explaining, Ily asks. Your child thinks, can ask for a hint, then sees Ily's follow-up. Here is a lesson in the middle of its run.
Why do leaves change colour in autumn?
Let's be detectives. I won't tell you the answer. I'll ask, and you think.
Question 1 of 4
Think about a tree in summer. What colour are its leaves, and what do you think that colour is for?
I'd like a hint
Think about what plants need from sunlight.
After I've answered: Ily's follow-up
Green comes from chlorophyll, which helps a leaf turn sunlight into food for the tree.
Question 2 of 4
In autumn there is less sunlight. What might the tree do with its green food-making stuff?
I'd like a hint
Would you keep spending energy on something you can't use?
After I've answered: Ily's follow-up
The tree stops making chlorophyll, so the green fades away.
Question 3 of 4
If the green fades, what colours might have been hiding underneath all along?
I'd like a hint
Look at a carrot or a banana peel.
After I've answered: Ily's follow-up
Yellows and oranges were there all summer, hidden under the green.
Question 4 of 4
Some leaves turn red or purple. What could be different about those leaves?
I'd like a hint
Some colours are made fresh in autumn.
After I've answered: Ily's follow-up
Some trees make new red colours in autumn. How much depends on sunshine and weather.
To finish
What would you look for on a walk to test what we figured out?
Only the grown-up sees this
Key ideas
- Chlorophyll (green) fades when days shorten.
- Yellow and orange pigments are revealed, not newly made.
- Red and purple are made in autumn, so they vary from tree to tree and year to year.
Ily also suggests what to look for, such as a video or a book. You find and check the links yourself, and add the ones you like.
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