Lesson 7 of 9
In Progress

Gifts from a Tree

Description

Trees are vital to our planet and contribute to the environment in many ways. Did you know that trees supply the world with much more than wood and paper products? Let’s show our gratitude for trees and celebrate each of the gifts they provide.

Practice scissor skills by cutting apart the pinecones, using the straight dotted lines as a guide. Choose a pinecone and encourage pre-reading skills by asking your child to tell you what she sees in the picture. Reinforce your child’s answer and name the item. Then tell your child to look carefully at the tree and find the picture that matches the one on the pinecone. Glue the pinecone on top of its match.

Note: Not all the items listed here come from one single tree. Here are some things you should know when talking to your child about gifts from a tree:

The rubber coated cork in the center of a Major League baseball comes from the natural rubber of a tropical Hevea tree. The Hevea tree also produces a liquid rubber called latex which is used to make balloons.

Tree resin, found inside the bark of a tree, can be processed into an ingredient called propolis cera and propolis extract which often provides the flavor found in toothpaste.

While it’s true that all trees produce oxygen, some trees like maple, beech, spruce, and the Douglas-fir produce more than others. And since oxygen is a product of photosynthesis, most deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the fall can’t take in carbon dioxide or produce any oxygen until their leaves return in the spring. In addition, all flowering trees produce fruit, but conifers (like the one shown in this lesson) produce cones instead of fruit.

Do some more research on your own! Discuss other ways in which trees provide for us on Earth, and use the blank pine cones to draw and label other things that come from a tree. For which gift are you most grateful?

Materials

From Your Kit:

  1. Gifts from a Tree (printable version)
  2. Pinecone Cut Outs (printable version)

You Provide:

  1. Child-Friendly Scissors
  2. Glue: Glue Stick or Liquid Glue & Brush

Optional Add-Ons: 

  1. Crayon Rocks or Colored Pencils
  2. Writing Tool

Books to Inspire

  1. What Things Come From Nature? by Radka Piro
  2. The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green
  3. Under My Tree by Muriel Tallandier

More to Explore

  1. The Air We Breathe
  2. From Tree to Paper: How Paper is Made