Bursting Buds

It’s spring!  Tree buds are opening, flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the days are getting longer.  It’s time to explore the fascinating world of buds and plants with children!

Weather permitting, take children outside for story time and read My Mother Talks to Trees by Doris Gove.  After you have read the story ask the children: Do your parents or other family members ever do anything that surprises them?   Take children on walk to look for buds on trees, and shrubs.  Follow the spirit of the story by walking up to trees and shrubs and talking to them.  Talk about the things that are unusual, beautiful, and remarkable about each.  Questions to ask: Do any of the plants have new leaves or flowers? Do any of them have buds? What do they look like? Describe them (color, texture, size). What do you think the buds will grow into? What do you think they will look like?  

Make plans to periodically return to the plants that have unopened buds over the next few weeks to watch for new growth. While you are outside, look for other signs of spring such as birds, insects and frogs.  Have the children close their eyes and “smell spring” in the air and feel the warmth of the spring sun on their faces.  Questions to ask: What do you smell? What does the sun feel like on your skin? What colors do you notice outside that you haven’t seen all winter?

Collect twigs with buds from plants that have been pruned.  Using plastic knives encourage the children to take the buds apart.  Provide magnifying glasses.  Provide other plants materials, such as twigs from various kinds of trees and shrubs, bulbs, flowers, and seeds, for the children to explore as well. Questions to ask: Do you think any of these things can grow into plants? Flowers? Leaves? What do you think would happen if we planted them in soil? Or put the twigs with buds in water? What do the plant materials smell like?  Feel like? Describe the inside of the buds.

Try putting some of the twigs in water and watch the buds open in the classroom.  Apple, forsythia, maple, oak and pussy willow are good choices.  Change the water frequently and recut the stem ends if needed. Check the buds daily and have the children make observations about what they see.  Questions to ask: How are the buds changing? Do you think they will develop into leaves or flowers? Why? Describe what you see.

For snack time make “sunshine sandwiches”.  Spread cream cheese on English muffins.  Put sunflower seeds in the center and arrange mandarin oranges around the center to form the sun’s rays.  Enjoy!

For more great ideas use Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood’s “Bursting Buds”.

Book List

Baylor, B. 1997. The Other Way to Listen. Aladdin.

Behn, H. and J. Endicott. 1994. Trees. Henry Holt & Company, Inc.

Berger, S., M. Sweet, and P. Chanko. 2001. It’s Spring! (Hello Reader! Series). Scholastic, Inc.

Bernard, R. 2001. A Tree for All Seasons. National Geographic Society.

Blackaby, S., and C. Delage. 2003. Bud and Blossoms. Coughlan Publishing.

Bourgoing, P. 1992. The Tree. Scholastic First Discovery Books.

Burnie, D. 2005. Plant. DK Publishing, Inc.

Burns, D.L. and J.F. McGee. 1996.  Berries, Nuts, and Seeds (Take-Along Guide). T&N Children's Publishing.

Burns, D. and L. Garrow. 1998. Leaves, Trees and Bark (Take-Along Guide). NorthWord Books for Young Readers.

Canizares, S. and P. Chanko. 1997. Look At This Tree. Scholastic, Inc.

Charman, A. 2003. I Wonder Why Trees Have Leaves and Other Questions about Plants. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Davis, R.F. 2006. Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book. Capstone Press.

Dixon, M. 1998. Plants around Us. Smart Apple Media.

Downden, A.O. 1984. From Flower to Fruit. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.

Eckroat, L. W. 2009. The Life of Bud. Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC.

Evans, L. 1999. Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Florian, D. 2006. Handsprings. HarperCollins Publishers.

Fontes, J.K. 2002. Signs of Spring. Mondo Publishing.

Fowler, A. 1991. How do you Know it's Spring? Scholastic Library Publishing.

Gerard, V.J. 2002. Spring: Signs of the Season around North America. Capstone Press.

Gibbons, G. 2002. Tell Me Tree: All About Trees for Kids. Little, Brown Young Readers.

Gibbons, G. 1984. The Season of Arnold’s Apple Tree. Voyager Books.

Glaser, L., R. E. Glaser, and S. Swan. 2002. It’s Spring!. Lerner Publishing Group.

Gove, D. and M. H. Mallory. My Mother Talks to Trees. Peachtree Publishers.

Hewitt, S. 1999. Plants and Flowers. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Johnston, T. 2005. The Whole Green World. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Lyon, G. 1996. ABCedar: an Alphabet of Trees. Scholastic Inc..

Orie, S. De Coteau. 1996. Did You Hear Wind Sing Your Name? Walker & Company.

Orme, H. 2003. Why Do Plants Grow in Spring? Gareth Stevens Audio.

Posada, M. 2004. Robins: Songbirds of Spring. Lerner Publishing Group.

Raczka, B. 2007. Spring Things. Albert Whitman.

Roca, N., R. M. Curto. 2004. Spring. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Royston, A. 2001. Plants, Flowers, Fruits and Seeds. Heinemann.

Saunders-Smith, G. 1997. From Bud to Blossom. Coughlan Publishing.

Schwartz, D. M., and D. Kuhn. 1998. Plant Blossoms. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.

Worth, B. 2006. I Can Name 50 Trees Today!: All about Trees. Random House Publishing Group.