Forestry Trunk

Cody is learning a little about trees in science right now.  I picked up a forestry trunk from Busch Wildlife a couple weeks ago to help supplement what he is learning.  It contained fantastic material!  There was so much in the trunk that I had to pick and choose what would be best for Anna and Cody’s age level.  There were tree rings, and we took our magnifying glasses and counted the rings to see how old the tree might be .  We looked at various leaves, twigs, and seeds and took note of which trees they came from.  Some were in our neighborhood, so they liked finding the ones they recognized.  There was a cute, informative story which was perfect for children.  We also played a fun game.  I call it “Have You Eaten Any Trees Today?”  I set out various items, and the kids had to write down which of those items they thought were made from trees.  They actually all were made from trees, but Cody and Anna were very surprised when they learned this.  Items such as a bottle of aspirin, tea, charcoal, latex gloves, chewing gum, toothpaste, and a sponge stumped them.  No pun intended! Ha! We talked about how syrup and toilet paper come from trees and many more items.  Cody was chewing gum at the time we played this game.  He left the room to spit his gum into the trash can when he learned it was made from trees.  Ha!  He vowed never to chew gum again!  I told him he might change his mind…He especially likes his pancakes with syrup, so I imagine at our next pancake breakfast he’ll change his thinking.  This was such a fun way to bring his Science lessons to life!