Tree-mendous Trees…

3 ways to celebrate trees with kids on a nature walk.

When we look at a tree we’re not just looking at one living organism, we are looking at a whole ecosystem.  Did you know for example that one tree might be home to 400,000 caterpillars? Or thousands of ants, or hundreds of beetles, spiders, fungi and grubs.  Not to mention the mammals, reptiles and birds that visit or settle in their branches, make nests in their hollows and burrows in their roots.  

As we run up to national tree day in Australia we’ve been focussing our preschooler nature and sustainability sessions on trees and the important jobs they do for people and planet. Not only do the 60,000 species of tree worldwide provide food and shelter for thousands of animals but they protect our environment and help keep the planet in balance.  Trees make oxygen, trap carbon in their trunks, hold soil together with their roots and cool the air.  They are essential for all living creatures on the earth. And very nice for sitting under with a good book!

On our recent Wildkids Walk we shared 3 activities to celebrate trees and start a conversation with kids about the importance of trees.  To watch the walk again, hop on over to our free facebook group.

1.Tree faces

Taking a walk in the woods, your local park or deciding your favourite tree in your own garden is a great start to engaging kids in discussions about trees.  Find a sturdy tree that has a trunk wide enough for a good-sized face.  Trees with quite rough, knobbly bark work best for this activity as smooth bark is a bit slippery (a good experiment to try though!).  The base for your tree face can be clay, playdough or simple mud.  Be sure to choose something that is toxin-free.   Natural, homemade playdough is perfect and you can download our activity pack for our tried and tested recipe.  If you decide you’d rather make your own mud, aim for a sticky thick consistency.  Kids have extra fun with this part!  We suggest taking a bottle of water and washcloths with you to clean up afterwards.

Begin by squishing some clay or mud onto the tree to make some eye, nose and mouth shapes.   Then explore the local area for some interesting items to add to the face. Perhaps a pine cone nose, or stick mouth.  A leaf beard or seeds for eyes.  Take a bucket or jar with you to collect items as you go.  Push the different pieces firmly into the clay on the tree to decorate.

Some kids find getting mucky a bit challenging and encouraging with permission and excitement with the creative task helps to support them learning through this experience. The advantage of making a mud face is that you can leave the face there until nature takes it back into the ground again.

2. Decorate a tree

A fabulous way for us to celebrate trees at any time of year is to decorate them. Try making your own ornaments from salt dough, leaves, sticks or pine cones.  Simply tie a few leaves together with some hessian string and make a bow at the top with a loop.  Or, punch a single hole in a few leaves and thread them on a string like bunting.  We like to take thin cut rounds of wood, with the bark still attached, drill a hole, thread with string and stamp a pattern.

If you don’t have access to nearby trees, you can collect some twiggy sticks to bring inside and decorate instead.  Try making a decorated tree for each season with differently themed decorations.

3. Mark a bark pattern copy

Make a copy of tree bark patterns using this simple and fun bark rubbing method.  Simply taking a piece of paper to the bark of a tree, and with the flat edge of a crayon, rub until the pattern bark shows through.  It’s best to use chunky crayons that are easier for little hands and paper that is not too thick (the pattern won’t show through) or too thin (it will tear too easily). You can experiment with different bark textures and colours and then discuss the different effects.

Try creating several bark pictures and sticking them up on a wall to make a tree!

While you’re making your tree faces or hanging your decorations up, there are so many conversations that we can centre around this activity.

• What is your favourite tree?

• How many games could we play on, around or under a tree?

• How do trees help us stay cool?

• How do trees help the planet?

• What animals live in tree branches, on leaves, in bark,  or under a tree?

• Which animals make their nests in trees?

• How do some trees change with the seasons?  

• Is the bark of this tree rough or smooth?

• Can you find some cones, seeds or baby trees under this big tree?

Do share your pics of your tree faces and decorated trees with us.

If you like this activity and you'd like access more, along with step-by-step lesson plans, how-to videos and a whole heap of extra resources designed to support early years educators - check out our online membership. 

And for more ideas like this one and weekly live stream walks in the woods where we make dens and have adventures outside head on over to our Facebook group.  We'd love to see you there.

I hope this blog was useful!

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