Tree Shapes

Materials:

Nature Journal, writing utensil of choice, a forest or wooded trail with a variety of tree types.

Activity:

Many times we look closely for details when making journal entries. Today we are going to pull back and look at trees from a distance to get a feel for their shape. In the woods or tree filled park sketch the basic outline or shapes of different species of trees.

Younger: 

Younger children can benefit from comparing deciduous trees to conifers.

Older:

While older children will notice the more nuanced shapes of the willows, quakies, spruce, and firs.

Take it Further:

How does identifying a tree by its overall shape help you when composing a landscape in your nature journal? Knowing trees by their shape as well as their leaves, fruit, and bark helps you to properly identify them in many different seasons and situations. Learn the names for common tree shapes here. Or use the beautiful resource linked below to the printables by HoneycombCabin. I’ve also included links to some of my other favorite tree printables for if you decide to do a unit on trees with the next few activities. As well as a fun field guide for kids (especially if you live on the east coast) and an EXCELLENT book about trees for any homeschool classroom.

This is an EXCELLENT resource on tree shapes from HoneycombCabin on Etsy. Click on the image above to go straight to her shop for these awesome printables.

This set is great for learning how to identify common North American Trees. You can find Tanglewood Hollow on teachers pay teachers or at Tanglewoodhollow.com (Click above to go to her tpt shop)