engaging youth in the outdoors · the sibley guide to trees, by david allen sibley, alfred a....

T h e i z a a k w a l T o n l e a g u e o f a m e r i c a

engaging YouTh in The ouTdoors A H o w - T o C H A p T e r M A n u A l

S U G G E S T E D Y O U T H A C T I V I T Y L E S S O N P L A N

1T R E E I d R E L A Y

C A T E G O R Y : w O O d s

TREE Id RELAY

Learning Objectives

To identify the differences in leaves from various tree species.

Materials

Small branches from various species of trees (the number of branches and species needed will depend on the number of participants).

Note: Seek trees in remote forested sites and avoid cutting landscape trees.

Activity Description

This simple running game allows kids to practice observation and identification of trees in an energetic and playful relay and is best done with at least 6 people.

Tree study: Divide your participants into small groups of 2 to 4 players, each group sitting together in a circle. Give the first group several branches from one tree species, give the second group several branches from a second species of tree, and so on. Ask the groups to carefully observe the traits of “their” tree. Do the leaves have teeth along the edges? Lobes (sections of the leaf that jut out like fingers on a hand)? Are the lobes rounded or pointed? What is the general size of the leaves and their shape? Are the leaves opposite from each other or do they alternate across the branch? Are there buds on the branches? (See “Discussion Questions.”)

Relay Race: While the teams are studying their branches, mark a starting line using sticks, rope, or any other object you have at hand. Line the kids up in their groups behind the line. Then, walk a distance away (say 20 yards) and spread all the sample branches around in a random order. You will need to have at least as many samples of each species as there are kids on a team; a few more is better.

Explain that this will be a relay race. When you give the signal, the first team member in the line should run to the line of branches, pick up a branch from their team’s tree, race back, and tag the next player. Mentors will need to be standing with each team to ensure the correct branch is selected by each team member. The first team done with the correct branches wins!

You can play the game more than once, giving each team a different species each time.

Bonus: To make the game more challenging, put out branches of trees that were not assigned to any of the groups and that have similarities to species studied by the groups. For example, a group assigned a red oak will have to look carefully to distinguish it from white oak! Ideally you would have to double the number of species.

Izaak Walton League of America Engaging Youth in the Outdoors

www.iwla.org www.creekfreaks.net


2 T R E E I d R E L A Y

Race Option #2: Divide the children into teams of four and have the teams face each other about 30 feet apart. (You will need to mark lines for each team.) Kids on both teams count off and receive a number (1 – 2 – 3 – 4). The samples of branches are placed between the two groups. The game begins when you call out the name of a tree branch and a number. (For example, “The next plant is a sugar maple and the number is four!”) The person who is number 4 on each team races to the center and selects a sugar maple branch. The first one back to their line with the correct answer gains two points for their team; wrong answers result in a deduction of two points.

Note: Unless the kids have learned tree identification through other activities, this version of the game requires all players to become familiar with all of the trees before the game begins.

Discussion Questions

Do the leaves have teeth along the edges?

Do the leaves have lobes along the edges? Are the lobes rounded or pointed?

What is the general size of the leaves and their shape?

Do the leaves connect to the twig evenly or unevenly?

Are there buds on the branches?

Answer(s): Will vary depending on availability and variety trees and leaves on a given forested site.

Estimated Time

15 to 20 minutes.

Ages

Not recommended for ages 5 to 8 because of the depth of the questions asked.

Recommended for ages 9 to 11.

Note: If you are working with a mixed-aged group, the younger players can be divided among teams of older players. Allow the team members to collaborate on branch selection.

Credits

Part of this activity adapted from Sharing Nature with Children, by Joseph Bharat Cornell, Ananda Publications, 1979.




3T R E E I d R E L A Y

Related Sources

What Tree Is That? www.arborday.org/trees/whatTree

The Sibley Guide to Trees, by David Allen Sibley, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 2009.

Trees — Fandex Family Field Guide, by Steven Aronson, Workman Publishing, 2010.

Trees (A Golden Guide), by Alexander Martin and Herbert Zim, St. Martin’s Press, 2001.



engaging youth in the outdoors · the sibley guide to trees, by david allen sibley, alfred a....

Documents