Outdoor Education Program : Trees

Plants and Trees
They provide an elegant and beautiful backdrop to our daily lives but few people stop and consider plants: the only living organism that can manufacture their own food and supply the world with oxygen. In this introduction to the world of plants, your students will extract chlorophyll, learn about the various parts and functions of a tree in a tree drama exercise, identify coniferous trees and deciduous trees; discover which local plants are edible and many more activities. Guaranteed to be treeific!
Grades 3,7 (This program can be modified to suit any grade)

Life Systems - Growth and Changes in Plants
3s1	demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences in the physical characteristics of different plant species and the changes that take place in different plants as they grow;
3s3	describe ways in which plants are important to other living things, and the effects of human activities on plants. 3s3 Grade 3 Science and Technology Life Systems Overall Expectations • describe ways in which plants are important to other living things, and the effects of human activities on plants.
3s4	identify the major parts of plants (e.g., seeds, stem, pistil) and describe their basic functions;
3s5	classify plants according to visible characteristics (e.g., type of tree bark, leaf shape, type of flowers);

Life Systems - Interactions Within Ecosystems
7s20	explain the importance of plants as sources of energy (e.g., food, fossil fuels), as producers of carbohydrates and oxygen (e.g., phytoplankton), and as habitats for wildlife;
7s22	identify the importance of plants in the Canadian economy (e.g., in farming, forestry, drug manufacturing, the nursery industry) and describe the impact of the industrial use of plants on the environment;
7s23	explain the long-term effects of the loss of natural habitats and the extinction of species (e.g., loss of diversity of genetic material, both plant and animal);
7s24	identify and explain economic, environmental and social factors that should be considered in the management and preservation of habitats (e.g., the need for recycling; the need for people to have employment).

Plants and Trees