evergreen tree with pinecones

Learning About Conifer & Evergreen Trees

Watching the seasons change can be an exciting time for students, especially if they live in a community with obvious seasonal changes! Use these lessons to foster curiosity in students wondering how some trees stay green all winter long and as a basis to learn about trees throughout the year.

young girl pulling child on sled through the snow

How to Make the Most of Winter Outdoor Activities

The winter environment offers abundant outdoor learning opportunities for preschoolers and high schoolers alike. How do you make the most of outdoor activities for kids during the colder months? Molly Gillespie, Alaska’s PLT Coordinator, recently shared with us some tips for teaching outdoors in the winter.

Little girl looking through binoculars

Winter Break Family Outdoor Advent-ure Calendar

With winter break just around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of fun outdoor activities to keep everyone entertained. Unravel two weeks’ worth of advent-ures from nature-based gifts to identifying animal tracks!

Hands-On Sensory Activities Exploring the Importance of Soil

Teaching students about the importance of soil is critical to understanding our planet and sustainability. Explore soil using students’ senses with these activities an ideas that include sensory bins, soil shakers, mud painting, and much more!

tree grows from a fox lying down surrounded by forest friends

The Memory Tree

Teaching young children about the loss of a loved one can be a difficult topic. In this picture book, a fox lives a long and happy life in the forest, but he is now ready to sleep and closes his eyes forever. As the fox’s friends begin to share memories and tell stories, a tree starts to grow taller and stronger with every memory.

Young boy wearing a red coat, white shirt, blue jeans, and white lace up sneakers running through a lush green forest holding a journal

My Forest is Green

Follow along a curious young boy who explores the urban forest near his home and describes the shapes, textures, and colors of the plants and animals that live there and encourages young children to observe and appreciate the nature around them.

PLT’s Newest Activity Collection: Connecting for Health and Planet

Our latest release features three PLT activities for educators of students ages 8-11 and grades 3-5. Use the activities to invite students to investigate how being outside—and among trees, specifically—provides people with many different physical, emotional, social, and learning benefits.

Recommended Summer Reading for Forest Lovers

As the days stay sunny for longer, summer can be the perfect time for kids and adults to relax under their favorite tree and catch up on their reading lists. Explore some of our favorite all-ages books about forests and trees to connect with the natural world!