National Arbor Day is an observance where people and communities are encouraged to plant new trees as well as taking care of the trees we have around us.
The observance day was founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska. National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April each year (April 29, 2011). So, this is a perfect time to start exploring trees within your children's community and offer Arbor Day preschool activities with the children.
There's so much that children can learn from trees.
If you have the opportunity, plant a small tree on the grounds around your classroom to nourish and watch its growth throughout the years. See how it changes during the seasons. Allow the children to name the tree in honor of their classroom. This gives them pride in nurturing their environment, learning more about the importance of trees in our lives and hopefully returning back to the center to see it's growth over the years!
Arbor Day Pre-K Activities
Adopt a Tree
Find a Tree
Take the children outdoors to explore trees in your playground, the park, and in the neighborhood. Talk about things that are the same and things that are different from each tree. What are its parts (roots, trunk, limbs, branches, leaves, etc)? Together play observation games. Ask questions such as: "Who can find the thickest tree trunk?" or "How many different kinds of leaves can you find?"
Getting to Know Your Tree
Tell the children that they can choose a tree to adopt (all the children can adopt the same tree if necessary). Once they have decided on their tree, help the children get to know their tree better.
- Let each child hug her tree. "How far do your arms go around it?"
- Encourage each child to kiss her tree. Have her smell the bark, leaves, pine cones, flowers, and acorns.
- Have each child explore the tree carefully with her eyes. Then, if possible, let the child look at parts of the tree with a magnifying glass.
- Let each child explore her tree carefully with her hands and feet. Feel the bark, leaves, twigs, and buds.
- Help each child find out who lives in her tree. Point out that many trees are homes for animals and insects. Look for nests - "What is it made of?" "Who do you think built it?"
Make a Book About Your Tree
Pass out paper and invite the children to draw a picture of their tree. If possible, let them draw while looking at their tree outdoors. Have each child name their tree (teacher can write the name on this sheet). The children can draw pictures of the animals or insects that live in their tree.
Have the children visit their tree and find a piece of bark to paste on another sheet of paper. Or, show the children how to put the paper up against the trunk and make a rubbing of the bark with a crayon.
Help each child measure the trunk of her tree with a piece of yarn. They can glue this piece of yarn to a page in their book.
Finally, have each child find a fallen leaf from her tree and glue this to a sheet of paper. If possible, visit this tree during all four seasons to collect a leaf.
Bound all these pages together between construction paper to make a book.
Nutrition From Trees
Many trees produce fruits and nuts that make good food for us to eat. Encourage the children to find pictures in magazines to make a "food from trees" collage. On one day, have a "tree food day" and serve fruits, nuts, apple or orange juice, and other snacks from trees.
Music and Movement
Invite the children to use their bodies and pretend they are trees. Play music and have these pretend trees sway in the breeze using their arms - back and forth. When the music stops, the children must freeze into a tree shape (like an upright trunk).
Read Books About Trees
Here are a few suggestions:
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Happiness Tree: Celebrating the Gifts of Trees We
Treasure by Andrea Alban Goslin
Another Tree in the Yard by Lucia Sera
Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids by Gail Gibbons
Source for Arbor Day: http://www.arborday.org
Arbor Day preschool activities will help teach young children about trees and this important observance. As we are trying to become more eco-friendly, saving our trees is an important factor in our lives. Youngsters should learn how to plant trees, nurture trees and love trees - they will save the Earth!
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Sand and Water Table
Tree Farm
1. Set up a tree farm in your sand table
2. Provide tractors, bulldozers, etc for them to play with in the area.
3. Put pieces of small branches, bark & leaves in the table.
4. Encourage children to plant trees and harvest them in the table.
Snack Time
Leafy Snack
1. Using leaf cookie cutters, create leaf shaped sandwiches.
2. Allowing children to take part in this activity would be so much fun for the classroom.
3. Alternatively use Jell-O, to make Leafy Jigglers.
Art & Family Involvement
The Family Tree
1.Have children bring pictures of their family to class. Let the children draw a tree on the poster board or large sheet.
2. Next have the children paste the pictures on the tree.
3. Now you have a cute family tree.
Group Project
Tickle Tree
1. Draw a triangle shape tree on a large sheet of paper. This is a group activity, so the larger the better.
2. Next, have the children cut three inch pieces of green paper and curl them with scissors or their fingers.
3. Finally, let your children glue the curled paper to the triangle to make a unique tree.
4. Add the following Poem to the bottom of the tree:
This is my tickle tree,
As you can plainly see,
It will tickle you,
As it has tickled me.
So if you are not careful, this little tickle tree,
Will make you say Hee, Hee, Hee.
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