Tree-mendous Fun

Tree-mendous Fun

Objectives

Students will discover and create the parts of a tree
Students will learn about some of the animals that use trees

Procedure

  1. Display various tree parts (nuts, cones and other seeds, leaves, twigs, fallen bark) and wildlife clues (feather, nest, chewed nut, fur) for students to observe.
  2. Read A Tree is Nice by Janet May Udry.
  3. Have students relate their body to the parts of a tree: arms for branches, feet as roots, torso and legs as trunk, skin as bark. Role play: Start as a seed and grow into a tree. How would their tree feel in a windstorm? Imagine a bird or squirrel coming to their tree.
  4. Visit trees and use senses to discover more about the trees: texture of bark and leaves; big or small trunk; any plants or animals in, on, or near tree; sounds of animals in tree; smell of bark, leaves, flowers or fruit; position of branches, etc.
  5. Collect leaves of a few trees while on the tree hike. Later, compare colors, sizes and shapes. Have students count the total number of leaves they collected and arrange from smallest to largest leaf. Make leaf rubbings.
  6. Using pictures, puppets, or taxidermy mounts, show students some of the animals that use trees for shelter. Sing ‘Gray Squirrel’ song.
  7. Make ‘people trees.’ Draw outline of child lying down on newsprint with legs together for trunk, feet out to side as roots. Arrange arms as branches and omit head. Add leaf rubbings to make leaves in the tree. Can also add birds, squirrels, fallen leaves, etc.
Activity provided by:

Marshall County Conservation Board
Diane Pixler
2349 233rd Street
Marshalltown, IA 50158
www.co.marshall.ia.us/departments/conservation

Age:
_ 0-1
_ 1-2
_ 2-3
_ 3-4
✓ 4-5
✓ 5-6

Category: Group Activities

Iowa Early Learning Standards:
8.2 9.1, 9.4, 10.1, 10.4, 11.1, 11.2, 12.1, 12.3, 12.4, 13.1, 14.3

Related Kindernature Resources: Other Resources: