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HAPPY
ARBOR
DAY
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Tomorrow is Arbor Day and I thought I would share some of the wonderful activities and resources we are using this year, and in years to come, to commemorate the day as a family.
History:
Arbor Day, set aside to plant trees and educate people about the importance of trees, and was began by J. Sterling Morton in 1874.
Morton, the editor of Nebraska's first newspaper, wanted settlers to come to the state. But the lack of trees on the Nebraska prairie posed a challenge. Although the prairie had the makings of rich farmland, would-be settlers could not build or heat homes without timber. In 1872, Morton suggested that the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture enlist the help of the state's residents and businesses in remedying the tree shortage. He recommended that the state establish a special day for people to plant trees and offer prizes for those who planted the most. On April 10, 1874, Morton's idea became reality, and Nebraska became home to America's first Arbor Day observance.
Today, the United States observes National Arbor Day on the fourth Friday of April. All fifty U.S. states celebrate Arbor Day, although dates vary from state to state according to local planting season.
Learn more through the Arbor Day Foundation's Interactive History Book.
History:
Arbor Day, set aside to plant trees and educate people about the importance of trees, and was began by J. Sterling Morton in 1874.
Morton, the editor of Nebraska's first newspaper, wanted settlers to come to the state. But the lack of trees on the Nebraska prairie posed a challenge. Although the prairie had the makings of rich farmland, would-be settlers could not build or heat homes without timber. In 1872, Morton suggested that the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture enlist the help of the state's residents and businesses in remedying the tree shortage. He recommended that the state establish a special day for people to plant trees and offer prizes for those who planted the most. On April 10, 1874, Morton's idea became reality, and Nebraska became home to America's first Arbor Day observance.
Today, the United States observes National Arbor Day on the fourth Friday of April. All fifty U.S. states celebrate Arbor Day, although dates vary from state to state according to local planting season.
Learn more through the Arbor Day Foundation's Interactive History Book.
Resources:
Nature RocksHandbook of Nature Study
Arbor Day Foundation
Woodland Trust
Activities:
Bark Rubbing
Create an Indoor Tree
Make a Tree Centerpiece
Make a Leaf Matching Game
Arbor Day Lesson Plans
Find Your State's Arbor Day
Paint Leaf Print Trees
Memorize Jeremiah 17:8
More Ideas:
Plant a tree
Make a collage out of tree leaves
Copy poems about trees
Draw a family tree & explain to your children the strength in trees
Draw the shadows of trees you observe
Count the trees in your neighborhood & tally the different kinds
List or draw all of the different kinds of fruit we get from trees
Draw your state tree
Visit a local forest or arboretum
Grow a ficus tree inside your home (They look lovely at night with twinkling lights.)
Make sculptures out of fallen limbs
Read books about trees - we especially like The Giving Tree (See more suggestions below)
That's a great list of tree activities.
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