A Closer Look at Trees

Today’s activity with The Playful Pioneers brought us to the study of trees.  We were happy to have our well-loved “Nature Anatomy” by Julia Rothman to use as a guide for the day’s studies.

 

I quickly set up a interactive diagram of a tree using our Playmobil and a few basic (very) labels, including tree roots.  Miss 6 read the part names and along with Miss 4, they were able to complete this together easily.

 

 

 

We used our “Trees” by Safari Ltd to compare the characteristics of different species of trees. We LOVE using miniatures in all our studies when possible.

 

 

Since our red maple was in full fall color, we ran with it and delved into all-things maple!  We used “Food Anatomy” by Julia Rothman to learn about the process of making maple syrup and then followed the included recipe to make our own maple fudge!  Yum and Yum.

 

 

We decided to use our leaf collection to make an easy suncatcher using contact paper and leaf shaped paper punch.  They turned out beautifully and looked so gorgeous hanging in the sun.

 

 

We also used our leaf punches to add a special part to our Math class that afternoon.

 

 

BOOKS

“Who will Plant a Tree?” by Jerry Pallotta

is a sweet book that helps children realize how animals have a part in planting seeds in various ways.

“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein

just begged to be read during this unit study, I would tell you what it is about but I feel like everyone has read this beauty at least a dozen times.

“Tree Finder: A Manual for Identification of Trees by their Leaves” by May Watts

is a simple yet thought provoking guide to identifying North American trees.  It contains many questions the kids enjoyed answering.

Any favorite TREE related activities or books? Please share.

May this day find you within easy reach of HAPPY!

Sue

“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”