Forestry Education Resources & Tree-Related Activities with Students

Quick Links

• Videos
• Forestry Resources
• Environmental Education and Wildlife
• Smokey Bear
• Educational Publications
• Games
• Tree of NC Coloring Pages

Videos

• Tree Growth Rings: Discover what tree grow rings are and how they can be used to determine a tree’s age and growing pattern in this twenty minute video
• Forest Soils Investigation: Explore the components which make up the soil profile, and the interrelationships between elements in the forest environment
• Bladen County Public Library Forestry interview video featuring Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest supervisor Carrie McCullen and Smokey Bear
• N.C. Forest Service YouTube video resources; Suitable for a range of ages including adults
• N.C. State Extension Forestry: Signs of Fall, PLT Activity #78; Suitable for a range of ages including adults
• Longleaf on the Short: series of 1 minute video clips about the Land of the Longleaf Pine
• A Tree's Dream: A remake of the film for the SC annual Wood Magic Forest Fair for fifth-graders; Created in collaboration with the S.C. Forestry Commission, Georgia Forestry Commission, N.C. Forestry Association and S.C. Forestry Association with Landale Corporation
• Forest Fast Breaks: 2 min video clips about Urban Forests, using Urban Wood and the benefits of Urban Forests
• Springtime Observations at Holmes Educational State Forest 3 minute video about cove ecosystem in Holmes Educational State Forest

Forestry Resources

• Trees Are Good: tree-related lesson plans, educational resources for adults and online activities; Suitable for all ages including adults
• Penn State: Forestry/Natural Resources Lesson Plans for grades 6 through 8
• NC Forestry Association: Teacher & student resources suitable for PreK-grade 12
• Project Learning Tree for parents and families: Free nature activities suitable for children ages 3-15
• 21 Tree Art Projects for Young Learners from Project Learning Tree
• Arbor Day Foundation: Suggestions for tree-related activities correlated to various school subjects; Suitable for a range of ages
• USDA Forest Service Kids: games, activities, coloring sheets, teacher and parent resources; suitable for a variety of ages
• Finding My Forest: lesson plans for educators correlated to National Standards for English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Music/Art; Grades 3-8
• TreesCharlotte: Activity sheets and curricula for elementary, middle and high schools
• Discover the Forest: activities for kids and can give people places to go
• Don’t Move Firewood interactive resources to "Protect the trees you love from tree-killing bugs"; Suitable for a range of ages including adults

Environment Education and Wildlife

• Report Invasive: Invasive Species Information from Perdue University for children and adults - including instructions to make your own Spotted Lanternfly Origami
• Pollinator Partnership: hosts annual Pollinator Week and has an entire curriculum for grades 3-6, plus tons of pollinator and flower-themed activities for children of all ages
• Project EduBat: lots of bat-themed activities and curriculum
• FSNatureLIVE: geared towards middle schoolers with science-based curricula and student-led videos on themes such as pollinators, bats, climate change, etc.
• NatureWatch: a collection of websites and social media resources where you can watch nature
• N.C. Environmental Education – search for resources, select Families for Audience Served and select Age Group(s)
• Natural Inquirer: a variety of science education materials for parents, educators and PreK through grade 12 students
• ASLA Designing our Future: Sustainable Landscapes: American Society of Landscape Architects provides links to urban forestry focused lesson plans, activities, games, and videos; Suitable for all ages including adults
• Nature Explore Family Resources: nature-inspired activities for families; resources also available in Spanish; Suitable for elementary aged children
• Into the Outdoors: outside-oriented, with some curricula for elementary, middle, and high school students
• Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network: "School's Out, Now What?" Activity Guides, Wildfire Education, and Go Bag Activities for the Whole Family (July 9, 2020)

Smokey Bear

• Smokey Bear for Kids: Wildfire prevention resources, games and activities suitable for a range of ages
• The Official Web Site of Smokey Bear
• Smokey Bear Coloring Page 1 (PDF)
• Smokey Bear Coloring Page 2 (PDF)
• Smokey Bear Coloring Page 3 (PDF)
• Smokey Bear Coloring Page 4 (PDF)

Educational Publications

• Know Your Forest, Know Your Water (PDF)
• Fire Scientist Coloring Book from Natural Inquirer (PDF)

Games

• Common Forest Trees of North Carolina Word Search (PDF)
• Forestry Interactive Crossword Puzzle
• Word Search (PDF)
• Change It! (PDF)

Trees of North Carolina Coloring Pages

• Flowering Dogwood (PDF)
• Hardwood Tree Leaves (PDF)
• Hemlock Tree Branch (PDF)
• Maple Leaf (PDF)
• Fancy Oak Branch (PDF)
• Red Oak Leaf (PDF)
• Shortleaf Pine Branch (PDF)
• WhiteOak (PDF)
• Yellow-Poplar (PDF)