This week children become scientists as they investigate the wonderful world of trees.
Observe trees using all five senses while learning new vocabulary and asking thoughtful questions.
What makes a tree a tree?
Tree
Leaf
Branch
Roots
Trunk
Bark
Leaves
Sticks
Pinecones
Magnifying Glasses
Clipboards
Crayons
Introducing the Tree Study
Invite children to explore baskets filled with leaves, bark, sticks, pinecones, acorns, and tree cookies. Encourage them to touch, compare, sort, and describe what they notice.
Good morning, explorers! Today we begin an exciting journey learning all about trees.
Have you ever climbed a tree or played beneath one?
A Tree Is Nice by Janice May Udry
Children compare leaves by size, color, shape, texture, and smell while using magnifying glasses to observe details.
Build a forest using wooden blocks and natural materials.
Create leaf rubbings with crayons and different kinds of leaves.
Explore books about trees, forests, and woodland animals.
Observe bark, branches, leaves, and seeds with magnifying glasses.
Transform the center into a Forest Ranger Station.
Draw your favorite tree and tell a story about it.
Take a nature walk around the playground or school grounds. Observe different trees and compare their trunks, branches, bark, and leaves.
Pretend to become a growing tree.
Invite families to take a walk together and find one tree near their home. Encourage children to notice the trunk, bark, branches, leaves, and anything living nearby. Ask them to share their discoveries tomorrow.
Looking Closely at Trees
Invite children to compare several different leaves using magnifying glasses. Encourage them to notice veins, edges, colors, and shapes.
Do all trees have the same leaves?
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Discuss how leaves come in many different colors, sizes, and shapes, and encourage children to identify similarities and differences.
Children sort leaves by color, size, shape, texture, or edge. Invite them to explain why they placed each leaf into its group.
Compare freshly picked leaves with dry leaves. Invite children to bend, twist, smell, and closely observe each one.
Measure leaves using linking cubes, paper clips, or rulers. Compare the longest, shortest, widest, and narrowest leaves.
Create leaf collages using leaves collected during outdoor exploration.
Build a forest filled with trees, animals, and walking paths.
Observe leaf veins with magnifying glasses.
Explore nonfiction books about forests and trees.
Draw and label different kinds of leaves.
Pretend to work at a nature center helping visitors identify leaves.
Return to yesterday's tree and compare today's observations.
Pretend to be colorful autumn leaves blowing through the wind.
Invite families to collect three different leaves during an evening walk and bring them to school for tomorrow's investigation.
Discovering the Parts of a Tree
Invite children to sort bark, branches, leaves, pinecones, acorns, and seeds according to the part of the tree they came from.
What are the different parts of a tree?
Tell Me, Tree by Gail Gibbons
Explore the different parts of a tree and discuss why each part is important for helping the tree survive.
Children assemble a paper tree using pre-cut roots, trunk, branches, and leaves while discussing the purpose of each part.
Invite children to examine several pieces of bark using magnifying glasses. Encourage them to compare colors, patterns, textures, and thickness.
Count leaves collected from different trees and compare which groups have more, fewer, or the same number.
Build a large tree using wooden blocks and natural materials.
Paint using leaves, branches, and pinecones instead of brushes.
Read books showing different kinds of trees around the world.
Compare bark, leaves, branches, and seeds with magnifying glasses.
Draw and label the parts of a tree.
Pretend to be park rangers teaching visitors about trees.
Choose one tree and identify each part together.
Act out the life cycle of a growing tree.
Invite families to identify the roots, trunk, bark, branches, and leaves on a neighborhood tree together.
How Trees Help Living Things
Set out toy woodland animals, birds, insects, pinecones, sticks, and leaves. Invite children to build habitats and discuss why animals need trees.
Who lives in trees?
The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward
Discuss the many animals that depend on trees for food, shelter, and safety.
Children use recycled materials to create homes for birds, squirrels, insects, or woodland animals.
Observe pictures of birds, squirrels, insects, raccoons, and owls. Discuss how each animal depends on trees for food, shelter, protection, or raising their young.
Build a woodland habitat using blocks and natural materials.
Create birds and nests using paper, feathers, and twigs.
Read books about forest animals.
Compare feathers, bark, leaves, and pinecones.
Pretend to be forest rangers helping wildlife.
Count birds, nests, acorns, and pinecones.
Search for signs of wildlife living in or around trees including nests, feathers, holes, insects, and squirrel activity.
Move like woodland animals.
Invite families to watch for birds, squirrels, butterflies, or insects using trees during an evening walk.
Celebrating Our Tree Discoveries
Invite children to revisit all of the natural materials collected throughout the week and create a classroom nature museum.
What was your favorite thing you learned about trees?
Show children leaves, bark, branches, seeds, and pinecones. Invite them to identify each object and explain how it is connected to a tree.
Create one large classroom tree together. Each child adds a leaf with their name or a picture showing something they learned.
I learned that trees...
Record each child's response and read them together during closing circle.
Visit your favorite tree one last time this week. Compare what children noticed on Monday with what they notice today.
Celebrate the week by acting out the complete life of a tree from seed to giant forest tree.
Record children's observations, vocabulary, interests, and questions to guide Week Two.
Encourage families to visit a favorite tree over the weekend and continue observing how it changes throughout the seasons.
Throughout this week children became scientists, artists, readers, mathematicians, and explorers while investigating the amazing world of trees. Through play, observation, conversation, and discovery, children built foundational knowledge that will continue throughout the remainder of this study.
During Week Two children investigate how trees grow, what trees need to survive, and how weather and seasons affect them.
