Outdoor Science: Evergreen Trees
Children should be aware of the Autumn changes to trees or may have studied it. This lesson can offer a Winter follow up and lead to new observations and relevant knowledge before the Spring comes.
Go for a nature walk around your school. You could bring iPads or tablets for children to take pictures of the trees for review back in class. (Children should be reminded to not pick or eat any berries.)
Ask the children the following questions.
- Can you identify any evergreen trees?
- Is it a conifer? Does it have cones?
- How big is it?
- What shape is it?
- Does it have berries?
- What does the bark look like?
- Why do you think evergreens are associated with Christmas?
Collect or make close up photographs of a sample of the leaves of any evergreen trees near your school. When you get back to class, examine the leaves with your magnifying glasses or project any pictures large on a whiteboard.
- What do you notice?
An Evergreen tree is a tree that has leaves all year round that are always green. There are many different varieties of evergreen trees. Most have cones and are called conifers. Their leaves have different shades of colour and shapes including needle-like and scale-like leaves.
Needles in clusters are most likely pine.
Bluish, scale-like leaves may be a juniper.
Holly has a distinctive, tough dark green leaf with spines.
Large flat, three lobed green leaves are a feature of the climbing evergreen ivy.
NOTE: Yew trees have attractive berries, but they can be toxic if ingested. They are not that common but may be found in churchyards and ornamental gardens.
Children can draw and make a display of their findings. Older and more able students may be able to create an identification key for trees around the school.
You can find out more about native Irish tree species and download some more tree science worksheets from here:
https://www.treecouncil.ie/tree-workbooks
https://www.treecouncil.ie/native-irish-trees
So there you go.
Enjoy the festive season with your class and in your lessons, make decorations, sing Christmas songs and lean in to the magic.
Nollaig Shona daoibh!
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