National Tree Day is coming up on 28 July, so if you’re planning to cover it in the classroom, we’ve got some fresh ideas! National Tree Day is an initiative run by Planet Ark and is Australia’s largest community tree planting and nature care event.
The Teach Starter teacher team have done some digging to bring you a list of activities for all ages and subject areas. Read on for fun and curriculum-aligned ideas for your students to honour this day in science, HASS and English, plus some great books about trees to read with your students.
Fun National Tree Day Ideas for the Classroom
Here are some fun activities to incorporate trees into your lesson plans for fun and engaging Tree Day learning!
Science Class
- Hold a tree scavenger hunt to learn more about the parts of a tree. Create a list of tree parts such as leaves, branches, trunk, roots and bark — along with a brief description of each part — and hand them out to each student. Take your class out to the playground, and have students work in small groups or pairs to search for different trees and identify the different parts. As they find each part, they can take a photo or sketch the tree and its parts on their tree observation sheet.
- Take a tree identification walk. Teach your students to identify the different types of trees in your community with an identification walk on school grounds or to a local park. Share a list of common tree species found in the community, along with a brief description of each tree’s characteristics such as leaf shape, bark texture and tree shape, before you go!
- Discuss the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees. You can even go further if you have older students and discuss why tree leaves change colours.
- See how many tree species your students can list from memory. Gum tree? Bottlebrush? Dogwood?
- Study the life cycle of a tree.
HASS Class
- Discuss cultural importance. Did you know the Ghaf tree is the national tree of the UAE? It is seen as a symbol of stability and peace. Studying the cultural importance of trees in different countries around the world can create a new level of appreciation and understanding.
- Go on an excursion. Is your school near a local park, forest, or nature trail? Anywhere with trees works! Encourage students to observe their characteristics, use their five senses to describe the trees, and collect samples (found on the ground!) to bring back to school.
- Take a virtual excursion. Excursions can be time-consuming (and expensive), but a virtual excursion can take you across the globe in seconds! Want to visit the Redwood Forest? The Amazon? No problem!
Art Class
- Create seasonal trees. Our four seasons tree craft is a fun way to explore the seasons while also creating something tangible. Students will colour and cut their trees before gluing them together to create their own mini tree representing how the changing temperatures affect the appearance of a deciduous tree.
- Use actual tree samples to create art. Head out on the school grounds, and have your students collect fallen leaves or bark samples they can find on the ground. These will come in handy during craft time in the classroom! Kids can use leaves as stamps using paint and construction paper or create bark rubbings using crayons and white paper. Challenge students to determine the different tree species after creating their prints.
- Create a tree-themed display. There are endless options to create beautiful artistic trees, but using early years students’ handprints is an easy way to create cute branches! Have each child press their hand onto a paper plate with paint and stamp their palm onto individual pieces of paper or onto one large piece the whole class will share. Tree trunks can be drawn in after the paint dries. For a less messy option, use our Mindful Colouring Trees for a bright display of shapes and colours.
English Class
- Describe your favourite tree. After observing photos and discussing varying tree types, have students describe their favourite tree in written form. Kids can answer some of the following questions as they practise describing things in their writing:
- What does the bark feel like?
- How tall is it?
- Which animals live in or around it?
- What are the colours of the leaves?
- Write Poe-Tree. Bring poetry writing into your National Tree Day celebrations! Write original poems highlighting the benefits trees provide. Students can create an acrostic poem using a tree name (eucalyptus, crepe myrtle, jacaranda etc.).
Read Aloud Ideas
Read a book about trees to your students, or add these titles to your classroom library!
- The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green
- The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry
- The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Gholz
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
- The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins
- Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer
- Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Use our Mini Book Report template to encourage your students to reflect further on their favourite tree story!
Maths Class
- Count tree rings. Use a photo or a real tree stump to teach children about determining a tree’s age. Want to really impress your class? Show them a photo of the Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, nicknamed ‘Methuselah,’ which is almost 5000 years old!
- Find the prime factor of numbers with factor trees.
- Practise simple addition with a fun apple tree activity.
How to Get Free Trees for Your School or Students
Get the entire school involved in National Tree Day! Want to organise a school-wide tree planting? It may be easier to convince your school’s admin with free trees. Here are some organisations you can look into as well as include in your next parent newsletter:
- Located in Sydney? Join Greening Australia’s Cooling the Schools program!
- Reach out to Bushland Services to see if you can join their revegetation or Bushland regeneration projects.
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