Time for kids to head back to school! I know parents are itching to hand their little ones back to the teachers again. It has been a long summer. Whether your children are heading to preschool, kindergarten, or grade school, there is plenty they can learn about trees. From basic concepts, like “what is a tree?”, to more involved lessons in “what do trees do for us?”, there is much we can learn about the world around us with the help of trees.
Care for a lesson in trees from CLC Tree Services?
Back to School with CLC
An art activity for the youngest set introduces children to the concept that trees can be different colours, and are made up of different parts. In this art activity from Mess for Less, use q-tips to dab different coloured leaves onto the branches of a tree. You can introduce terms like “trunk”, “branch”, “leaf” and even “roots”. This activity also introduces the concept of how trees change over time, ie. they drop their leaves in the fall.
Bring trees into the classroom with other activities too. Montessori on a Budget has a great idea for using branches as a counting tool. Kindergarteners will love handling these natural items, which brings counting to a new level. Construct containers out of toilet paper rolls, label them with big numbers, and then encourage children to place the proper number of sticks in each container. You can extend this activity even further with a nature walk for children to collect their own twigs, pointing out trees that the twigs come from along the way.
For slightly older children, take that nature walk and extend your learning curve. Discuss the difference between deciduous (sheds leaves in fall) and coniferous trees (evergreen). Look for animals and signs that they are about, and talk about how a tree factors into their world. Compare this habitat to the child’s own world (ie, a tree provides a home for birds, insects and other animals, just like your house does for you). See what the children notice and are interested in. This might be the start of a new lesson plan!
The tree lessons don’t have to stop there. Discuss trees in reference to life cycles (ex. from acorn to tree and back again), to social studies (ie. interdependence of trees and animals, as well as humans), in reference to food and medicine (ie. anything from fruit trees, to other edible parts of certain trees, to homeopathic/medicinal uses of trees), and they become a major factor in environmental discussions (ie. trees filter water, produce oxygen, reduce air pollution, etc.).
As we know at CLC Tree Services, we have so much to learn about and from trees. What are your favourite lessons you have learned from a humble tree? Time to head back to school for you!