Friday was Arbor Day, our annual national celebration of trees. This year, the arboretum was buzzing with excitement as we hosted seven classes of second graders from St. Peter South Elementary for our Trees for Twos event. The students participated in a number of interactive workshops facilitated by arboretum staff, students, and education majors.
The first station included an activity where the students “build a tree” by having each student represent a tree part to learn about heartwood, sapwood, bark, taproots, lateral roots, etc. Their next station was a game where students had to act as a tree: Pick a spot on the ground and, without moving, collect chips that represented sunlight, water, and nutrients: everything trees need to acquire survive. The final rotation included a deeper look into the importance of trees: How they help us and what we get from them.
The program ended with a lesson on how to plant a tree. Each student was sent home with their own small paper birch sapling they could plant themselves. It was a beautiful day, and everyone had a great time. A big thanks to everyone who helped make this event possible!
Tree planting season is upon us, so as you think about your spring plantings, refer to the University of Minnesota Extension for more information on tree planting.
– Sam Warburton ’14
A wonderful way to educate our youth about the importance of trees. Well done arb class.