Trees are a great topic any time of year, but I like to talk about trees in the summer because if you have to be outside, at least you can be in the shade. But of course you can learn about trees indoors, too, as a lot of these activities will show.
The Crafty Classroom has ideas for a tree unit study that starts with a nature walk, collecting leaves, observing bark and just paying attention to all the details that make different trees unique. You can take rubbings, photos or draw or write down your observations in a nature book. If you have a nature corner or science center you can gather leaves, twigs, acorns, etc. and observe them at home, too.
You can also make a guide to the trees in your yard, playground, neighborhood or local park with this cute idea from Kid World Citizen. Kids can take a leaf and a rubbing of the bark to identify each tree. You could also take photos or draw a map of each tree’s location.
When the leaves start changing is the perfect time to do a lesson on why leaves change color. You can get all the details from STEAM Powered Family, which has a lot of details on different experiments they did and how they worked so you’ll know just what to do when you try it yourself.
Learn the difference between deciduous and coniferous tress with help from Capri Plus 3, and learn all about tree rings and the age of trees from KC Edventures.
Younger kids can observe changes in leaves (this uses fall leaves but you could do it any time) with this easy project from Preschool Toolkit.
Make your own trees to decorate the classroom with this easy paper bag craft from Crafts by Amanda. This would be a fun one to try at different times of year. How would you decorate a spring tree? How about a winter tree?
Or you can make your own trees with this printable tree outline from Crafts on Sea, or practice counting by decorating trees with fingerprint leaves with this activity from Fun Handprint Art Blog.
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