Celebrate Arbor Day with Kids

Celebrating Arbor Day with your kids can be a fun and educational way to learn about this spring holiday and the environment. Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by Julius Sterling Morton. He was a writer from Nebraska who felt that Nebraska would benefit from annual tree planting. Soon many other states followed Nebraska's example and now each state in the United States celebrates Arbor Day. There are many ways to incorporate fun into an Arbor Day celebration.

Children usually like to dig in the dirt and planting tress offers the opportunity to do just that. The Arbor Day Foundation offers 10 free seedlings with a membership to the Arbor Day Foundation. A person could choose this option or could buy trees from a local plant nursery. If he or she did not have the space to plant the trees in their own yard, a good alternative would be asking if the trees could be planted in neighbor's yards or a community park.

Children also like to have parties with their friends and play games. An Arbor Day party is a fun and unique way to let children learn about Arbor Day. A party celebrating this holiday could include theme foods and games. For instance, a tree shaped cookie cutter can be used to cut lunch meat, cheese, and bread into a shape of a tree. Children can put these together to make their own tree sandwiches. Bars and brownies could also be cut into the shape of trees. After the snacks at the party have been eaten, send the children outside for an Arbor Day scavenger hunt. To do this game, write clues on pieces of paper that pertain to trees. For instance, have the children located an acorn, a maple leaf, a pine cone, or pieces of birch bark.

Visiting a wildlife refuge is another option for learning about the importance of planting trees. Walking on the trails and talking about the different types of trees can help children notice the differences in their environment. Animals also use trees for many purposes. Explaining this fact of nature to children will open their eyes to the many things that trees are needed for in our world, and why it is important to plant trees.

Creativity and imagination should be used when a person celebrates Arbor Day with kids. The most important part to consider when celebrating this holiday is to remember the purpose of the holiday, which is to protect the environment and plant trees. There are many ways to honor Arbor Day and the importance of trees. As long as a person incorporates fun when celebrating Arbor Day with kids, children will have fun and will enjoy learning about trees and the environment.