Free Seedlings for Iowa Schools from Trees For Kids

To celebrate Earth Week next month, the Trees for Kids program is offering free seedlings to schools and communities across Iowa.

Each school building and community may order one free custom packet consisting of 200 bare-root seedlings, 50 each of four selected species. Recipients are not required to plant their trees during Earth Week (April 17-23, 2016), but must have them planted before May 31, 2016.

To take part in this offer, schools and communities need to complete a simple application form and return it to the Trees for Kids program via email or postal mail by April 1, 2016. The application form can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/urbanforestry by clicking on “Trees for Kids Earth Month Celebration.”

Schools and communities receiving packets will be asked to email at least one photo of the trees being planted and a short paragraph indicating where and why they were planted.  No other requirements are necessary to receive the free trees.

The Iowa-grown, native trees and shrubs provided by the State Forest Nursery are naturally adapted to Iowa’s weather and soil extremes. Trees provide many benefits including wildlife habitat, environmental protection in the form of improved energy efficiency and water quality. They are vital hosts to pollinators and provide seasonal beauty to our landscape. Planting trees has been a traditional way to celebrate Earth Day since its beginning in the 1970s.

Schools and communities can create their own custom packets or select from a variety of recommended specialty packets, such as:

• Fall Color –Trees and shrubs with vibrant fall color
• Fastest Forest – Great along streams and wet areas, these grow at least 3 feet per year
• Pollinator Packet – Provides vital host species for butterflies and other pollinators
• Privacy Packet – Great to use as a visual barrier or along a fence line
• Spring Flowers – Create spring color with these flowering shrubs and small trees
• Storm Resistant Packet – These trees resist breakage from wind and ice storms
• Wild Edible Packet – Enjoy an edible landscape

Photos and information about various packet species can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/ seedlingcatalog. The seedlings are between 8 and 24 inches, depending on the tree or shrub species. Size requests do not apply to this program. Order early for best species selection.

The Trees for Kids and Trees for Teens grant programs are funded by Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Bureau, MidAmerican Energy, Black Hills Energy, Alliant Energy, Iowa Bankers Association, Trees Forever, Iowa Tree Farm Committee and the Iowa Woodland Owners Association.

For more information about ordering no-cost Trees for Kids seedlings, contact Laura Wagner, DNR Trees for Kids Coordinator, 515-725-8456 or laura.wagner@dnr.iowa.gov

Reconnecting Children with Nature: Growing Up WILD Early Childhood Training

 

This workshop leads you out the door and provides hands on activities and resource materials to help you lead your own nature explorations. Growing Up WILD activities use age appropriate practices and concepts to build on children’s sense of wonder and invites them to explore nature and the world around them. Specially written for children 3-7, activities include sections to address many learning areas: math, science, language, literacy, health living, play, and creativity.

 

Growing Up WILD received the 2009 Family Choice Award and the 2011 Renewable Natural Resource Foundation Excellence in Journalism Award.

April 23, 2016
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Story County Conservation Center (56461 180th St, Ames)
Registration: Iowa Child Care Providers Training Registry— Click on Search Trainings, then search Reconnecting in the Title.
Registration Deadline: April 15, 2016

Cost: $35

For more information, contact Malisa Rader at 515-708-0822 or mrader@iastate.edu

 

Drawing on Nature

A sense of wonder is sparked when art and nature meet. Nature provides the stage and art provides the script to help you awaken a love of learning in your students complimented by a lifelong bond with their natural world.

·         Spend a class just drawing patterns in nature.

·         Students can spend a class drawing lines they see tree branches making.

·         Students can create texture rubbings of various textures they find in nature.

·         Students can spend a day just drawing leaves on various plants.

Reading Connections

Martin, L. C., and D. Cain. 2003. Nature's Art Box. Storey Books.

Ryall, J. 2012. Nature Art. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Thomas, P., and C. Orback. 2007. Nature's Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse. Lerner Publishing Group.

Nature Themed Songs

Nature is filled with music and movement. Children love to sing their favorite songs, learn new ones, and make up their own. Songs help children remember content and improve their ability to learn new words.

Add these songs from the KinderNature website to your collection.

I See the Wind

I see the wind when the leaves dance by. (dance hands around)
I see the wind when the trees wave “Hi!”(wave hand)
I see the wind when the kites fly by. (raise arms high)
I see the wind when the clouds float up high. (wave hand gently)
I see the wind when it blows my hair.(lift hair with hands)
I see the wind ‘most everywhere! (hold hands out, palms up)

The Magic of Seasons

(sung to “Clementine”)

It’s like magic, seasons changing

Summer, fall to winter, spring
Summer, fall to winter, spring
Changing seasons can be seen

In the summer sun is shining

Butterflies dancing on a breeze
Insects buzzing, fish a jumping
Little fawns run through the trees

In the fall time days get colder

Geese are flying through the sky
Tree leaves change to fancy colors
They go crunch as we walk by

In the winter snow is falling

Winter trees are dressed in white
Bats and woodchucks winter sleeping
Owls are calling in the night

In the spring time rains are falling

Birds are singing all around
In the forest trees are growing
Baby animals can be found

I’m a Little Fishy

Sung to “I’m a Little Teapot”
I’m a little fishy, I can swim
Here is my tail, here is my fin
When I want to have fun with my friends
I wiggle my tail and dive right in

Have You Ever Seen a Tadpole

(tune “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie”)

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?

Have you ever seen a tadpole with a long fat tail?

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?

Have you ever seen a tadpole with just two back legs?

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?

Have you ever seen a tadpole with four little legs?

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?

Have you ever seen a tadpole jump up so high?

WAIT ……. That’s not a tadpole!

That’s a FROG!!!

Leaves are Floating Down

Leaves are floating softly down (Flutter fingers)
They make a carpet on the ground (Spread hands apart)
Then swish! The wind comes whirling by (Bring hands around fast)
And sends them dancing in the sky (Flutter fingers upwards)

Fishing Song
Have you ever been fishin’ on a bright and sunny day?
With all the little fishies swimmin’ up and down the bay
With your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants
All the little fishies do the hoochie-koochie dance!

Monarch Metamorphosis

(Sung to Frere Jacques)

Little egg, little egg

On your leaf, on your leaf
Growing very quickly, growing very quickly
What will you be? What will you be?

Funny caterpillar, funny caterpillar

Wearing stripes, wearing stripes
Eating, eating, eating; Eating, eating, eating
Milkweed leaves, milkweed leaves

Magic chrysalis, magic chrysalis

Green and gold, green and gold
What great treasure, what great treasure
Do you hold, do you hold?

Beautiful monarch, beautiful monarch

Glide and fly, glide and fly
Moving off to Mexico, moving off to Mexico
By and by, by and by

The Queen of all of the Ants

(Sung to the tune of Noble Duke of York)

The queen of all the ants, she had 10,000 men

She marched them up the hill and she marched them down again
And when they’re up, they’re up
And when they’re down, they’re down
But when they’re only have way up they’re neither up nor down

BirdSleuth School Garden Grant

School gardens provide the context for lessons across subjects and offer a wonderful opportunity to engage students in hands-on, project-based learning opportunities. Students that engage in school gardening are likely to experience academic, physical, emotional, social, and even behavioral benefits.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is seeking ten dedicated teachers within the United States who strive to bring STEM and healthy living from the garden to the classroom. These teachers will receive a $500-$2,000 grant, gardening supplies, and BirdSleuth’s Habitat Connections kit. Funds may be used to support the building or revitalization of school gardens. In addition to food gardens, preference will be given to bird, pollinator, native habitat, rain, and other natural projects.

Application Process & Eligibility

The application is open to all K-12 schools, public and private, within the United States. Application deadline is February 15, 2016. All applicants will be notified on February 22, 2016. At least half the gardens funded will be underserved, high-need, urban schools. Apply now. Email birdsleuth@cornell.edu with any questions.

Grant Details & Timeline

• All winners will be notified February 22, 2016.
• Selected winners must first attend an online training either March 3 at 7pm ET or March 7 at 8pm ET. Upon completion, 75% of the allocated funds will be provided along with the Habitat Connections kit.
• Between March and June, the winning schools must implement their proposed garden plan and the kit lessons.
• A final report is required no later than July 1, 2016 from each school. This final report will consist of a brief survey and sharing the school’s progress on the BirdSleuth Action Map. Upon submission of the final report, each school will receive the remaining 25% of the funds to support continuation of the project.

 

Let’s Look for Tracks!

Animal footprints or tracks are one way to learn about an animal without actually seeing it. In addition to helping identify the animal, tracks can reveal a complex story about the animal. Tracks let us know that wildlife is alive and well. They also tell us about how an animal is built and how it moves.

Identifying and following a set of animal tracks is a great treasure hunt. Any season is a good time to look for tracks, but winter and spring are prime. Snow and soft ground create easy-to-find, distinctive imprints. Tips for identifying common wildlife tracks are available on the DNR website.

Try these simple ideas to help introduce animal tracks to your students.

Create a Track Mat
Materials: cloth of desired size (such as muslin or canvas), fabric paint, animal track stamps, paint brush

Instructions: Create an animal track scene. Stamp animal tracks on cloth as though animals walked across the fabric. Paint in trees, water etc. and stamp the animals tracks as you may find them in nature, i.e. duck tracks by the water, squirrel tracks by the trees. Share with your class. Have the kids tell stories about what they think the animals are doing, where they are going and what they might eat or where they might live.

Track Stories

Provide paper, animal track stencils, animal stamps, crayons and markers, etc. for your kids to create a visual story about animal tracks.

Sand Prints

Fill one tray with wet sand and other with dry sand. Provide children with a variety of objects for making imprints in the sand. Possibilities include different shoes (flip flop, tennis shoe, high-heeled shoe, etc.); plastic animals and other toys; or spoons, cookie cutters, and other kitchen utensils. Which works better: wet or dry sand? What else do children notice?

Track Art

Invite children to use their hands, feet or various objects to make impressions on paper using finger paints. See how many shapes and patterns they can make.

 

Easy Bird Feeders

Kids are fascinated by birds. If possible, set up a bird feeder outside your classroom window. Bird feeders can be as simple as stringing Cheerios or old pretzels onto yarn and tying the ends together. Birds love these winter treats.

Try these easy-to-make bird feeder ideas from the KinderNature website.

Pinecone Feeders

Have children pick out a pinecone, tie a string to its top end. Using spoons, children can smear either vegetable shorting or peanut butter onto the pine cone. Roll pinecone into birdseed, place into ziplock back for children to hang on a tree at home.

Drumlin Farm Fruit Bird Feeder

Cut a grapefruit or an orange in half. Core out the fruit inside the peel (kids can eat this part). Punch three holes into the peel’s sides and attach strings so you can hang the feeder. The children can mix the following ingredients together to make a bird pudding: 1 cup flower 4 cups birdseed, 1 cup hot water, 2 cups oatmeal, 1 pound lard or vegetable shortening. Help your kids spoon the bird pudding in the fruit feeder.

Biscuit Bird Feeders

Open a tube of refrigerated biscuits. Have your child poke a hole into the middle of the biscuit. Lay the biscuit into a bowl of bird seed until it’s covered in seed. Lay the biscuit on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake as directed. When it’s cool, tie a string through the hole and then hang your new bird feeder outside. Put close to a window so all can watch the birds devour every bite.

Bagel Bird Feeder

Have the children spread shortening onto one half of a bagel. Push bagel shortening side down into bird seed. Place a string though the hole in the bagel and hang outside.