Trees: Exploring the World Around Us

** This class will be available very soon, feel free to send me a message if there is a specific date that you want to enroll. **

This is a class about getting outside to ignite curiosity about nature, make discoveries, and uncover new questions.  We will take virtual walks together and get up-close looks at the largest trees, rare and unusual trees as well as everyday neighborhood trees.  As we explore these different types of trees, we will make observations and discoveries about leaves, seeds, bark, roots, and start to uncover other things we wonder about trees.  Learners will take the ideas explored in class to investigate and make discoveries about the trees near them. 

Instruction will be provided with weekly videos that include mini-virtual field trips, close-up photos, new vocabulary, and interesting facts.  Each video also includes open-ended questions and ideas to encourage learners to get outside observing and thinking about trees near where you live. The videos are easy to pause and return to if the learner wants to refer back to previous information.  A second weekly video will model an open-ended art activity and a nature journal prompt, connecting our discoveries in nature with art and literacy.  Weekly videos are posted in the classroom on Monday mornings.  You can choose to watch both on the same day or divide them up as works best for your learner.  A PDF handout will be provided on the last week, offering additional resources and suggestions for continued exploration of trees after class is over.

Week 1: Neighborhood trees & exploring leaves: We will get outside and start our discoveries about trees nearby: in your backyard, on a neighborhood walk, or in a local park.  We will be making observations, thinking about what we already know about trees and what are some of the things that we wonder.  We will take a close up look at the parts of a leaf, and think about how trees look different during different times of the year.  This week, I will also show you how to make a nature journal using a twig as part of the binding.

Week 2: Rare pine trees & exploring seeds: Have you ever found a pine cone?  This week, we will be visiting the Torrey Pines State Reserve to take a look at an endangered type of pine tree keeping an eye out for pine cones.  Then we will explore different ways trees protect and distribute their seeds, and we will take a close-up look at some unusual seed pods.  Learners will be on the lookout for seeds and seed pods near you as well as collecting tree artifacts (leaves, twigs, seeds…) to investigate and then use for nature designs.

Week 3: Giant Sequoias & exploring tree bark: We will learn about the giant trees in Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, which is currently the home to the largest tree in the world.  This will give us opportunities to think about the size and ages of trees – learners will want to get out a measuring tape to compare the size of tree trunks near you.  We will also be taking a close up look at tree bark from several different types of trees, noticing similarities and differences as well as thinking about why bark is an important part of a tree.  We will get out our crayons to do bark and leaf rubbings.  

Week 4: Trees in the desert & exploring roots: This week, we head out to the desert to visit Joshua Tree National park to see what we notice about trees in the desert.  Is a “Joshua tree” really even a tree?  How do trees in dry places get enough water?  What is going on underground?  We will collect some more tree artifacts and get out the paints.  Learners will do a simple science experiment exploring how plants get water and then use nature artifacts to make prints or even as paintbrushes.  We will finish up our class thinking about what we still wonder about trees and sharing resources for further exploration. 

Although this class is completed on your own time, learners will have several ways to share their ideas and connect with me and their classmates.  Every week they will be asked to share a nature artifact or a discovery they have made exploring trees near you. Learners can share by uploading a photo, writing a comment, or by using the Outschool platform to record a video message.  On Tuesdays and Fridays, I will respond to work submitted in the classroom and will reply with a written response or a video message.

If you are interested in a live class for your learner to connect with other nature lovers, I have a weekly ongoing class called “Kids Who Love Nature: Talk, Draw and Write.”  This class does not cover the same content as this course, but can be a nice complement to this Flexible schedule class as learners bring their nature discoveries to share and discuss with classmates and then spend time working on nature journals.  
https://outschool.com/classes/kids-who-love-nature-talk-draw-and-write-yx34L3IM?usid=3CuwGyJY&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link