Nature is a great teacher!  Try these activity ideas from Project Learning Tree to connect the children in your life to the outdoors and nature. Suitable for children ages 3–15, some activities work better for younger children, others are more suited for older children. The way you present them will change depending on your child’s knowledge and ability.

Download each Family Activity individually below, or purchase this printed guide that contains a collection of more than 30 fun and easy-to-do activities.

Project Learning Tree’s Teaching with i-Tree unit includes three hands-on activities that help middle and high school students discover and analyze the many ecosystem services that trees provide. Students input data they collect into a free online tool that calculates the dollar value of the benefits provided by a tree, or a set of trees. The activities can be used in formal classroom settings or with nonformal groups, such as scouts, students enrolled in afterschool programs, and visitors to nature centers and parks. The activities require minimal preparation and supplies, and work in urban, suburban, or rural settings.

Subscribe to PLT’s e-newsletter, The Branch, for environmental education resources, notice of new instructional materials, professional development opportunities, grants, and more! Get practical teaching tips, recommendations for children’s books, and STEM(andSTEAM!) education ideas. Plus, lesson plans and other adaptations to PLT materials created by teachers and proven to work with students in the classroom and outdoors. 

“It was invaluable to me! I spread the word...because all that you have listed there is so valuable to teachers in the classroom.”

Glenda Ferguson, Teacher & YTN Member