Tree of Benefits – Ongoing Project

During our tree study we had this Tree of Benefits project ongoing on one wall. It not only gave my boys a chance to display their newfound knowledge, but also provided fine-motor skills practice for my preschooler and kindergartener and spelling practice for my 2nd grader. In case you haven’t noticed, I really love projects where everyone is involved and getting something out of it!

This project started off with the boys cutting small rectangles out of green paper and folding them in half.

Next the boys cut crescent shapes along the folded edges. (After a little instruction even my 3 year old was able to do this. He used spring-assisted scissors to make it a little easier.)

When unfolded you have a nice little leaf.

(We also took this opportunity to talk about symmetry and same & different with my younger boys.)

Each time the boys thought of a benefit provided by trees, we listed it on a separate leaf. Either my 2nd grader or I would write the benefit in pencil for my preschooler or kindergartner to trace in marker.

And up on the tree each leaf went.

(We happened to have an adhesive tree trunk on hand, but if your mother doesn’t send you these sorts of random things, you could easily cut one out of construction paper or a paper grocery bag. Love you, Nana!)

Here’s a close up of our tree near the end of our unit.

The finished product!

Want more? You can check out our other tree projects here:

Number Tree - Theme Reveal

Poetry Memorization - Trees

The Giving Tree - Leaf Crowns

And don't forget the books!

Here are my Top 3 Book Picks to go along with this project:

A Tree is Nice

by Janice May Udry

If you’re only going to get one tree book, this is my top pick. It’s a living book and a Caldecott winner, with beautiful illustrations, a sweet innocence to it, and plenty of information. I’m glad to own this one!

The Giving Tree

by Shel Silverstein

This is a great book, but it may not be right for every family. It tells the story of the relationship between a tree and a boy over the course of their lifetimes. The tree gives. The boy takes. There’s a great opportunity here for discussion, and plenty of room to insert your own appreciation for the gifts that trees give to all of us.

 

A Tree is a Plant

by Clyde Robert Bulla

This book is part of the Let’s Read and Find Out Science Series. These are simple and well-done non-fiction books for kids. They don’t skimp on information, but it’s presented in a very easy to read manner. We own several other books from this series and I’m always quick to grab them at the library when they relate to what we’re studying.

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