Objective

To learn the steps for planting trees

Materials

• Index cards or pieces of cardboard, drawing or writing utensils, clear tape
  

Time

15 minutes

Procedure

This simple exercise prepares young kids to plant trees. Begin by making cards that illustrate, either with words or drawings, the steps for tree planting (or ask the kids to draw the steps). The drawings and words are on one side; on the other, you or the kids can write an inspiring phrase, such as “We plant the future!” You can laminate the cards with clear tape to prevent damage to the drawings. The following steps come from Peace Corps/Paraguay:

• Cleaning the site
  
• Digging a hole
  
• Obtaining the plant
  
• Watering the seedling
  
• Removing the plant from the pot
  
• Placing the plant in the hole
  
• Covering the roots with soil
  
• Gently packing the soil around the tree
  
• Watering the plant in its new home
  
• Putting up a fence to keep animals from eating the seedling

Once the cards are ready, ask volunteers to come forward to share a card with the rest of the group. Then ask the group to sort the cards in order to learn how to plant a tree properly.

This lesson plan is an activity from the Environmental Activities for Youth Clubs and Camps, a resource developed by the Peace Corps Office of Overseas Programming and Training (OPATS). It was contributed by Peace Corps/Paraguay.