The Science of Trees

Trees are the most accessible and obvious way to introduce children to nature. Every tree is a habitat unto itself, providing food and shelter for any number of insects, birds, and mammals. A tree study can be carried out throughout the year so children can observe a variety of natural rhythms and cycles. The trees in your area will depend on the climate as well as how often the area has been cleared. Many people plant exotic or ornamental trees that are not native to their area. It’s a good idea to study a healthy, native tree. You can identify a tree by using clues such as its leaves, its bark, and its shape. I also recommend planting a tree with he children as a way to demonstrate that there are things we can do to help the earth. See the Arbor Day link below for information about planting trees.

Trees Facts

· There are approximately 100,000 different species of trees throughout the world
· Trees produce oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and thus are very important for maintaining a healthy environment
· Conifers or evergreens are cone-bearing trees such as pines, firs, cedars, junipers, and redwoods
· Deciduous trees lose their leaves due to seasonal changes
· Most trees produce growth rings every year, which makes it possible to determine the age of the tree
· The oldest known tree in the United States is a Bristle cone Pine Tree in California that is 4,700 years old!
· The tallest trees are the California Redwoods; one was measured to be 379 feet tall!

Tree Resources

http://www.arborday.org/ This site has everything you need to know about trees, including an online tree guide and a Nature Resource Book for teachers.

First Guide to Trees, G. Petrides, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2nd edition, 1998

Fandex Family Field Guides: Trees (Cards), S. Aronson, Workman Publishing Company, 1998 This is a great way to learn about trees with children. The cards have die-cut leaf shapes, along with photographs and facts about every tree in the set.

Schoolyard Habitats

Did you know that you can create a natural schoolyard habitat and have it certified by the National Wildlife Federation? A schoolyard habitat can attract birds, butterflies, and other wildlife nearby your school where children can observe and learn more about them without having to leave the safety of your own schoolyard. In order to create a habitat you will need to include some of each of the following:

• food sources, such as seeds and nectar
• water sources, such as a small pond or a bird bath
• places for cover, such as a thicket or a rock pile
• places to raise young, such as a nesting box or dense shrubs
• use sustainable gardening methods, such as compost and mulch

Go to http://www.nwf.org/schoolyard/howtoguide.cfm

for free, complete guidelines for your schoolyard project, including free pdfs about planning your habitat, native plants, composting, container gardening, as well as free articles about the schoolyard habitat movement. Turn your schoolyard into a miniature nature area, and join the hundreds of teachers who bring nature to life right outside their classrooms.

Earthworms

Earthworms might make teachers squirm, but there is no doubt that young children are facinated at these crawly creatures. Earthworms are interesting and easy to study, because you can ususally access them right in your outside play area.

Earthworm Facts:

• There are 2,700 different species of earthworms
• Earthworms can be from 1-2 inches up to 14 inches long
• Earthworm bodies are made up of ring-like sections
• Earthworms are invertebrates, meaning they do not have an internal skeleton made of bone
• Earthworms form the base of many food chains. They are preyed upon by many species of birds, e.g. starlings, thrushes, gulls, crows, and robins. Some snakes feed on them and mammals such as bears, foxes, hedgehogs and moles eat many earthworms as well. Earthworms are also eaten by many invertebrates such as ground beetles and other beetles, snails.

Earthworm Resources:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Earthworms
Earth worm facts and photographs.

The Worm Book: The Complete Guide to Gardening and Composting with Worms by Loren Nancarrow and Janet Hogan Taylor, 2004

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart, 2004
Earthworms (Minibeasts) by Claire Llewellyn and Barrie Watts, 2002

http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/how-to-raise-earthworms

Owls

Thanks to Harry Potter, most children recognize the familiar features that make an owl.

Here are some owl facts:

· There are 200 different types of owls in the world, and they live almost everywhere except Antarctica, most of Greenland, and a few small islands
· Owls are birds of prey, meaning they hunt and eat small mammals, birds, insects, even fish. What they eat depends on the type of owl
· Owls come in different sizes, some very small, weighing as little as an ounce (Elf owls, Pygmy owls), to very large, weighing as much as 10 pounds (Eagle owls, Snowy owls)
· We often think of owls as being nocturnal, or active at night, but many owls are active during the day as well
· People have used symbols of owls for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. The Egyptians used an owl symbol in their hieroglyphics
· A group of owls is called a ‘parliament’

Children usually recognize the familiar owl face: round head, large eyes, flat hawk-like beak. Children are often familiar with owls because of Harry Potter movies, but very few have ever seen an owl. As a matter of fact, most adults have never seen an owl in the wild.

Some nature centers have rescued owls in residence. These owls could not live in the wild, so they are often used to help educate people about these magnificent animals.

Owl Resources:

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Snowy-owl Photos, video, games, etc. related to the Snowy owl
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-owl.html Page of owl facts , photos, and links
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/flash/v4/index.htm Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection

The Science of...Pumpkins

Children are fascinated with pumpkins, and there is a lot you can do other than make jack-o-lanterns! Here are some fun facts and resources about pumpkins:

• Pumpkins are in the squash and gourd family


• Pumpkins are actually the fruit of the plant (the state fruit of New Hampshire)


• Pumpkins originated in North America and are one of the most popular crops in the United States


• Pumpkins are usually orange or yellow, but some are green, white, and even red


• Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are edible and very nutritious


• Pumpkins are now grown on every continent except Antarctica
  
• Pumpkins come in many different sizes and have fun and interesting names:

Small: Baby Bear, Small Sugar, Spooktacular
Medium: Harvest Moon, Funny Face
Large: Big Tom, Big Autumn
Jumbo: Big Max, Mammoth Gold

• Pumpkins usually weigh between 9-18 pounds, but can weigh much more, and every year, hundreds of growers compete to grow the heaviest pumpkin
  

Resources about pumpkins:

• http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/



• http://www.teachingheart.net/apumpkinunit.html
  
  
• Pumpkins
  by Ken Robbins, Square Fish, 2007
  
• How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
  by Margaret McNamara, Schwartz & Wade, 2007
  
• Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
  by George Levenson, Tricycle Press, 2004
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The Science of... Sunflowers

One of the best projects I ever did with children was the sunflower project. Children, teachers, and families were fascinated by the brown sunflower heads I brought in to study. We did sunflower paintings ala Van Gough, made sunflower murals and told sunflower stories. Here are some sunflower facts and sunflower resources:

• Sunflowers are in the Asteraceae family, which means star-shaped flower. Why do you think they call it that? They are related to daisies, asters, and dandelions.
• Their Latin name, Helianthus annuus, literally means sun annual.
• Sunflowers are native to North America, but now are grown in many places throughout the world.
• Sunflowers come in several shades of yellows, oranges, reds, and even greens.
• The head of a sunflower is actually composed of dozens of florets in a spiral pattern.
  
• Sunflowers come in many sizes, from dwarf to giants up to 25 feet tall!
  
• Sunflowers come in many varieties with fun names such as ‘baby bear’, ‘mammoth’, ‘elf’, and ‘lemonade’.
  
• Sunflowers growing outside follow the sun as it moves through the daytime sky.

Here's a great sunflower science activity:

Dissect a sunflower head. You will need a sunflower head from a farm stand, a table covered with paper, trays for sorting, tweezers, magnifying glasses. Examine the sunflower. Notice the spiral pattern of the seeds. How is it different than a growing sunflower?

Resources about sunflowers:

• http://www.burpee.com/ This site has photos and descriptions of several varieties of sunflowers. You can see the different colors as well as the names of sunflower varieties.
• http://www.google.com/ Enter sunflowers and click on images. This site has hundreds of photographs and sunflower paintings.
• This is the Sunflower, L. Schafer and D. Crews. Greenwillow, 2000.
• Sunflower House, E. Bunting. Voyager Books. 1999.
• From Seed to Sunflower, G. Legg. Watts, 1998.

The Freshwater Pond Habitat

The (freshwater) pond habitat teems with plants and animals from several groups, including a vast array of microscopic inhabitants. There are many interesting pond animals: amphibians (frogs, tadpoles of frogs, salamanders, and toads), birds (Kingfisher, ducks, swans, small herons, red-wing black birds), fish (wide variety depending on where you live), insects and insect larvae (dragon flies and dragon fly nymphs, mosquito larvae, water striders, water beetles), mammals (Muskrats), and reptiles (a variety of turtles and some water snakes). The pond consists not only of the water, but the perimeter of small trees, grasses, cattails, and mud. A scoop of pond water yields an interesting study in itself. and is a great invitation to this topic. Armed with magnifying glasses and shallow trays, children can discover a seemingly endless variety of interesting creatures swimming around.

Ponds vary tremendously in size and origin, and specific plants and animals found will depend on your location and climate. If you have a small pond nearby your center, you have a great place to study this interesting habitat. Here are some things to think about and/or ask the children:

• How is the pond different from the ocean? How is it the same?
• How are pond turtles different than sea turtles? Why do you think so?
• What is the difference between an amphibian and a reptile? Why do many people confuse them?
• Are there sharks in the pond? Why not?

Some ideas for pond life activities:

• Create a fresh water aquarium for your classroom for a few days so children can observe animals first-hand. This is especially important if you cannot safely bring children to a nearby pond. Make sure you know how and what to feed any animal you include, and make sure you put them back in a few days where you found them.
• If you can go to a pond, do a checklist scavenger hunt or make a pond walk photo-journal of your visit.
• Make a pond mural (see above photo) throughout your study.
• Make or buy a set of frog life cycle stamps to help children represent the different stages they have observed.
• Make a frogs and lily pads or a turtle and logs matching and counting game.
• Play non-competitive musical frogs and lily pads instead of musical chairs.

There are dozens of field books for children that focus explicitly on pond life, as well as reptiles and amphibians, insects, and birds. The best resource I have found is Woods, Ponds, & Fields, by Ellen Doris. As you can tell by the title, it is also a great resource for the field/meadow and forest/woodland habitats. It includes dozens of nature activities and information, such as how to make an underwater viewer, as well as important safety tips (poison ivy, ticks, etc). Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but there are many used copies available online, and I highly recommend it.