Whether it's watering a seedling or acting out the behavior of a tree searching for resources, a new program for elementary school students connects children with the environment through interactive classroom activities.
Trees in the Classroom is a partnership between the Nebraska State Forest Service and the Lower Platte South and Papio Missouri River Natural Resources Districts that helps Nebraska teachers teach the environment through classroom and hands-on activities. Jack Hilgert, conservation education coordinator for the Nebraska Forest Service, said the pilot program is designed to enhance environmental education in the state and get Nebraska students thinking about the role of trees in their communities. Ta.
“It helps students think about what people get from trees and how trees grow to benefit individuals and communities,” Hilgert said.
The Trees in the Classroom program is based on a six-week series of lessons. Her second-graders in 26 classrooms and about 600 third-graders are participating in lessons about the life cycle of trees, their parts and structures, their natural habitats, and how they help people. .
Each student also receives a seedling, which they care for during the program and take home to plant.
The first lesson begins with students drawing a tree from memory, then goes outside to illustrate trees in their neighborhood through direct observation and compare and contrast the images.
During a visit to Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer Public School, Hilgert delivered Colorado blue spruce saplings to students and led a class in which students acted out how trees acquire and compete for resources. did. Jamie Frey, the class's teacher, said the interactive lessons helped students understand the information in a broader perspective.
“What we're talking about about trees needing nutrients and what happens when they get too crowded is a concept that you can't understand just by hearing about it or seeing pictures,” Frey said. “By doing the hands-on game, you can see what it feels like and experience it in real life.”
She said that by receiving seedlings to care for, students can participate more actively in the learning process and gain a sense of ownership over their education. Students in her class will also participate in the school's science fair in April with projects that incorporate trees.
“The kids can draw pictures and look at the trees outside, and it becomes personal,” Frey said. “They will put more effort into this project because it will be tailored to them.”
In the “Tree Factory” lesson, children stand in a circle and recreate the structure of a tree. Next, perform actions that demonstrate the functionality of different parts of the tree. It makes connections between equivalent parts of the human body and the functions they perform.
“We use whole-body movement to strengthen the layers of the tree and encourage us to think about comparisons and contrasts,” says Hilgert. “Obviously, the internal structure of a tree is very different from the internal structure of a human, but it is very similar, and similar to other things they may know in their world. What are their trees doing inside each day to help them grow?”
In another lesson, students receive cards depicting parts of habitats and build a complete classroom model of a food web. This activity teaches children about the role of trees in the ecosystem.
“We can talk about how all parts of the ecosystem are interconnected,” Hilgert said. “How are the trees in my neighborhood connected to birds, squirrels, or all the flora and fauna in my community?”
After completing the curriculum, Frey hopes that by learning about trees, her students will understand from a young age that they can make a difference in the environment.
“They have a responsibility to care for our world, and they also have a responsibility to learn about the world so that they can be interested in it as adults,” she says.
Hilgart said the class is an added tool to teachers' toolboxes when it comes to science and environmental education, and can help teachers who may already be extremely busy. This kind of program allows it to remain in the student's mind all year long, rather than learning it in one field trip, like at a botanical garden or a zoo.
“Outdoor trips can be truly memorable and transformative, but those outdoor experiences can be compared to what happens regularly in the classroom and what students engage with on a daily basis. If you can connect it to natural phenomena, it becomes much more meaningful to students.”
