Meet a tree
Trees are the biggest plants of all. Find out what roots, trunk and leaves do, why some trees lose their leaves in autumn, and who lives in a tree.
Read
A tree is a tall plant with a strong, woody stem called a trunk. Some trees live for hundreds or even thousands of years![2]
Roots hold the tree in the ground. They drink up water from the soil.[1]
The trunk carries water up from the roots to the leaves. Bark covers the trunk like a coat and protects the tree.[1]
Leaves make food for the tree. They use sunlight, water and air.[1][2]
Some trees lose their leaves in autumn and grow new ones in spring. Other trees, called evergreens, keep their leaves all year. Many evergreens have thin leaves like needles.[2][1]
Trees are homes for animals. Birds, squirrels and frogs can live in trees, and an oak tree can feed hundreds of kinds of insects.[2][9]
Trees help us too: they give out oxygen, which we breathe, and their roots hold the soil in place.[2]
Try it: Tree detectives: hugs and rubbings
You need
- Two or three different trees in the school grounds
- Paper and wax crayons (paper peeled off)
- A long piece of string and a ruler or tape measure
- A clipboard
Safety
Stay together with an adult. Do not climb trees. Do not eat berries, nuts or leaves. Do not pull bark off: it hurts the tree. Wash hands afterwards.
What to do
- Choose a tree. Hold paper flat on the bark and rub gently with the side of a crayon.
- Find a fallen leaf from the same tree and make a rubbing of it too.
- Wrap the string round the trunk at the height of your tummy. Mark the string and measure it back in class.
- Do the same for another tree.
- Compare: Which tree is fattest? Do the barks feel the same?
Play: Which part does it?
Which part of the tree does this job? Tap roots, trunk or leaves.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16