Arbor Day School Activities
- Have a library display of books about trees (fiction and non-fiction) for one or two weeks.
- Have a paper tree on a wall. Ask children to write on a paper leaf why they like trees or why they think trees are important. Display the leaves on the paper tree.
- Having a forester come to your school and tell the children about trees.
- Giving a tree seedling to each student who promise to plant it in his/her backyard and take care of it.
- Having students make posters about trees or write stories or poems and display them in the cafeteria.
- Coordinating a field trip with guided tour for your students to Jesse Jones Park or Mercer Arboretum in Humble, or Armand Bayou Nature Center, Hermann Park or Houston Arboretum.
- Have a tree planting ceremony: Have the kids sign a pledge to care for trees and forests, and bury the pledge with the tree roots in a time capsule. Example of pledge: “I promise to do everything in my power to respect, protect and take care of our trees and forests for the well-being of this and future generations”.
- Have one child per class read an Arbor Day proclamation. It could be a poem about trees written by the children, wishes for trees and forests, why they like trees …
Example of proclamation: Arbor Day celebrates the role of trees in our lives and promotes tree planting and care. It was initiated in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City who said “Other holidays focus upon the past; Arbor Day focuses on the future“.
Trees are important, we couldn’t live without them: they clean the air and produce the oxygen we breathe. They provide habitat for wildlife and keep the climate in balance. They give us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires and countless other wood products.
Planting trees is an act of kindness and optimism. The celebration of Arbor Day represents a priceless opportunity for all of you to take positive actions and make your world a better place.
Arbor Day Links
Trees for Houston : Volunteer non-profit organization in Houston, dedicated to the orderly planting of street trees along Houston’s major arterial streets and freeways.
What Tree is That? Learn to identify trees in your neighborhood
Resource for teacher: integrate some tree-related activities into your classroom