Educator Resources
NEW! Order free wildflower seeds to attract bees and other pollinators–in addition to the redbud seedlings students have enjoyed since 2007.
Whether you’re a parent, educator or group leader, teaching students about the importance of trees and pollinators to our ecosystem can be educational and fun! Look below for free, engaging lessons plans and activities to help students connect with nature by planting their own tree and pollinator garden.
Project Plant It! culminates in the spring to celebrate Arbor Day (the last Friday of April) and National Wildflower Week (the first week of May). To celebrate the season, you can request free redbud tree seedlings AND free wildflower seed packets designed to attract bees and other pollinators that are so essential to the sustainability of our food system and our environment.
The tree seedlings and the wildflower seed packets are provided by the Arbor Day Foundation and arrive with specific instructions for planting in schoolyards, residential/community areas, or in containers. For best results, planting should be done as soon as possible after students receive the seedlings and seed packets.
Project Plant It!’s tree seedlings and wildflower seed packets for pollinators are only available for request from the fall through mid-winter, but our educational resources are available on the website anytime at no charge. Please enjoy them all year long!
Thank you for your interest in Project Plant It! By introducing students to the beauty of trees and the power of pollinators, Project Plant It! benefits our most valuable natural resource—our nation’s youth.
Looking for some
online fun?
Try these games on a rainy day when students can’t be active outside.
Parts of a Tree (Grades K - 4)
Tree Terminology (Grades 5 - 8)
Tree Trivia (Grades 9 - 12)
Kick off your Project Plant It! experience with this helpful toolbox. You’ll discover a suggested timeline, best practices, a participation certificate for students to proudly display and much more.
· Pollinator Lesson - The Buzz About Bees
· Pollinator Lesson - The Buzz About Bees (Spanish)
· Pollinator Lesson - Word Search
· Pollinator Lesson - Word Search (Spanish)
· Pollinator Lesson - Tasting Party
· Pollinator Lesson - Tasting Party (Spanish)
· Pollinator Lesson - Presentations and Scavenger Hunt
· Pollinator Lesson - Presentations and Scavenger Hunt (Spanish)
· Pollinator Lesson - Planting and Caring for a Pollinator Garden
· Pollinator Lesson - Planting and Caring for a Pollinator Garden (Spanish)
· Pollinator Habitat Sign (Spanish)
· Organizations Working with Youth Letter
· Organizations Working with Youth Letter (Spanish)
· Educators and Group Leaders Letter
Check out these cool ways for students to explore the great outdoors. Using the unique blend of arts, science, math and physical activity, these activities will get students in the dirt and excited about Project Plant It!
The list below represents only a small sample of the available resources about trees. Library shelves are full of books concerning every facet of these woody wonders – including leaves, rainforests, plants and much more – so dig around here and then go exploring on your own!
For Elementary Students:
A Tree is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla
A Tree is Growing by Arthur Dorron
Be a Friend to Trees by Patricia Lauber
Discovering Trees by Douglas Florian
Flowers and Trees by Time-Life Books
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
Leaves by Rena Kirkpatrick
Leaves and Trees by Elaine Pascoe
Mighty Tree by Dick Gackenbach
Outside and Inside Trees by Sandra Markle
Sky Tree by Thomas Locker
Trees by Martyn Hamer
Trees by Andrew Langley
For Educators:
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
Picture Guide to Tree Leaves by Raymond Wiggers
Science Project Ideas about Trees by Robert Gardner
State Trees by Sue Brandt
Tree by David Burnie (Eyewitness Book series)
Tree Almanac: A Year-Round Activity Guide by Monica Russo
Trees by Allen Coombes
Trees by Linda Gamlin
Want to do some research on your own and gain even more insight about our ecosystem? These websites concerning trees and the wonderful world around them will help your arbor knowledge take root.
Dominion Energy
American Forests
Arbor Day Activities
Arbor Day Books
Arbor Day Crafts
Arbor Day Foundation
Arbor Day Teaching Tools
How to Plant a Tree
The Great Plant Escape
Tree Resources
Project Learning Tree
Virginia Department of Forestry