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    Arbor Day

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    Arbor Day is a national holiday that encourages tree planting and tree care. First celebrated in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is now observed annually on the last Friday in April. It is an opportunity to learn about the ecological and economic importance of trees.

    		Arbor Day Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00

    Arbor Day Crafts4 stars

    From things you probably already have around the house (such as construction paper and egg cartons), Enchanted Learning creates seven tree-related craft projects. The colorfully illustrated step-by-step instructions are great for preschoolers and lower elementary grades. Looking past Arbor Day, these crafts will also be fun around Thanksgiving (see the string of leaves) and Christmas (especially the paper evergreen tree, and the pop-up tree greeting card.)



    Arbor Day Net3 stars

    Arbor Day Net tells the history of Arbor Day, from 1872 Nebraska to President Nixon's 1970 creation of National Arbor Day. Nebraska's first Arbor Day, proposed by state agriculture board member J. Sterling Morton, was an amazing success -- more than one million trees were planted. So when Nebraska made Arbor Day an official state holiday in 1885, they chose to honor Morton by celebrating it on his birthday, April 22nd. Arbor Day (or some variation) is celebrated in many countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, Korea and Israel.

    Kids for Trees4 stars

    "Trees don't just stand around. They do many jobs that are very important to animals, people, and the environment." This illustrated, eleven-page guide for K-3 students was created by The Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Best clicks are the glossary (from "Arbor Day" to "zoologist"), and the teacher guide, which includes ideas for projects and activities. The site is also available in Spanish. To find it, click on "Other Classroom Materials" and follow the link to "Wild About Plants."

    Kidzone: Trees4 stars

    This one-page introduction to parts of the tree for elementary students includes printable worksheets (at the bottom of the page.) "The roots are the part of the tree that grows underground. Trees have a lot of roots -- the size of the root system is usually as big as the part of the tree above the ground. This is necessary because the roots help support the tree. It takes a lot of roots to hold up a 100 foot tree!"

    National Arbor Day Foundation: Carly's Kids Corner5 stars

    The kids section of the National Arbor Day Foundation site is my pick-of-the-day site because it integrates fun with learning. It has a great selection of games (with corny names such as "Who wants to be a Treelionaire?" and "Treevial Pursuit"), educational articles ("Trees Make a Difference"), and community activity ideas ("Kids Make a Difference.") Clicks not to be missed include "What Tree is That?" (a feature-by-feature guide to tree identification) and the classroom activities you'll find by moving your mouse over the little red schoolhouse.

    		Arbor Day Resource Handout for Classroom or Homeschool: Just $2.00



    Honorable Mentions

    The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

    Ducksters: Arbor Day

    Tree Identification

    Plant a Tree

    Treetures


    Cite This Page

    Feldman, Barbara. "Arbor Day." Surfnetkids. Feldman Publishing. 25 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Nov. 2024. <https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/arbor-day/ >.


    About This Page

    By . Originally published April 25, 2017. Last modified April 25, 2017.

    Filed Under: History, Holidays, Holidays

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