In this activity, children discover how plants and animals depend on trees.
This is one of 12 activities that can be found in PLT’s Trees & Me activity guide for exploring nature with young children. For the complete activity and more like it, purchase Trees & Me at Shop.PLT.org and/or attend a professional development training in your state.
Below are some supporting resources for this activity.
Download the copyright-free student pages that are included with this activity:
Family & Friends (PDF)
Expand your students’ learning and imaginations. Help students meet their reading goals, while building upon concepts learned in this activity, with the following children’s book recommendations:
Try a simple variation of this activity to engage children in the outdoors at home. Download this fun and easy-to-do family activity.
The following tools and resources may be used to enhance the activity.
Use Florida PLT’s Paper Plate Habitat template as the basis for learners to create their own microhabitats.
Merlin is a free app for identifying birds you see and hear. Using your location, the date, and your answers to a few simple questions (or your sound recording), Merlin shows you likely birds.
The Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service gives step-by-step recommendations for creating a wildlife habitat at site, based on on-the-ground experience from successful projects.
AllTrails is a free app that helps users discover the outdoors. Use it to find a hiking path suitable for children, to search for local places to bike or fish, or to plan a national park visit.
Are you looking for information on the field of childhood education? All Education Schools offers a clearinghouse of resources to explore professional organizations, licensing and credentials, teaching strategies, research, and more – all related to early childhood.
Explore PLT resources to help you teach students about the environment, whether you’re new to teaching or looking for new environmental education resources to explore! PLT provides easy-to-teach, hands-on activities suitable for various settings, and a range of resources to support and mentor new educators.
Bird nest activities are a great way to introduce children to natural materials and the importance of fragile environments.
PLT recently collaborated with our friends at Natural Start Alliance to host a free educator webinar full of ideas for creating fun, authentic outdoor learning experiences for ages 1-6. Check out the tips and ideas shared, as well as a free activity download from PLT’s Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children.
As the holiday season approaches, it’s a great time to get outside to refuel and recharge yourself by taking a gratitude walk! A gratitude walk helps us pause, reflect, and give thanks to every person and living thing in our natural world.
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