“Earth and sky, woods and fields . . . teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.” – John Lubbock

A camp experience is filled with vibrant learning opportunities. It often includes new skills such as archery and swimming, and the value of friendship and community, along with lessons about the natural world. When campers are given engaging opportunities to interact with nature, they may begin to develop a deep appreciation for both zoology and botany. These early experiences are often influential in the lifelong embrace of environmental initiatives.

Certainly, one of the most distinctive features of any ecosystem is its trees. For millennia, trees have consistently engendered our admiration. There is something like 3.04 trillion of them (or approximately 422 trees for every person on Earth), and more than 73,000 species. Humans have long celebrated trees as sources of wisdom, sacred beings, and metaphors for old age; as well as for their stature and evolutionary resilience.

Trees also offer youngsters unique learning opportunities. When campers participate in vibrant tree lessons, they gain valuable information they can use at home or in school. Equally important, as a camp counselor, you can share powerful insights about the natural world that will be long remembered. The following activities will open your campers’ eyes, energize their imaginations, and promote a lasting love of these magnificent, leafed titans. The result: a “tree-mendous” camp experience!

1.Tree Dictionary

During a hike through a forest or a grove of trees, divide campers into several small groups or pairs. Invite each group to create their own “Tree Dictionary” by gathering tree words or phrases for each letter of the alphabet. Some of the letters (such as X or Z) may be challenging!

When your camper groups are finished, take the opportunity to discuss some of the terms we use with trees and their remarkable lives. Following are a few examples: 

A –	H – hollow in trunk	O – oak, owls	V –
B – bark	I –	P –	W –
C –	J –	Q – quiet place	X –
D –	K – knot	R –	Y – yellow leaf
E –	L –	S –	Z –
F – forest	M –	T –
G –	N –	U –

FUN FACTS: In the Crooked Forest in Poland all the trees grow in the shape of the letter J. The trees in a forest in the Anton Valley of Panama all have square trunks (four right angles). Even their tree rings are square.

2. Bark Pictures

Bark is an important part of every tree. Bark protects the tree from insects, disease, and fire damage. You can help campers understand the importance of tree bark by creating bark pictures.

1. Remove the wrappings from several different-colored crayons, and provide each camper with a crayon and a piece of white paper.
2. Go for a forest walk with your campers, and invite them each to lay a piece of paper against the bark of a selected tree. Using the side of a crayon, have them rub across their paper. They will begin to see the pattern of the bark appear on the paper.
3. Encourage campers to visit other trees to make additional bark rubbings. Give them a different piece of paper and a different color crayon for each tree.
4. Back at camp, discuss the patterns, noting any similarities or differences. Explain that even though bark is different from tree to tree, it performs the same function — protecting the tree.

FUN FACTS: Sequoia trees in California have the thickest bark of any tree in the world — up to 20 inches thick (the length of 15 paper clips laid end to end). Kapok trees, on the other hand, have some of the thinnest bark of any tree in the world — 0.02 inches — about as thin as a fingernail. The thin bark helps kapoks stay cool in their hot, humid rainforest climate.

3. How Tall?

Here’s a fascinating activity that allows campers to measure the height of a tree without climbing to the top. You should demonstrate this one before letting campers loose to try it in small groups.

1. Locate a tall tree.
2. Have someone measure your height with a yardstick.
3. Take a strip of white paper (about 1” x 4”) and pin it horizontally to the tree at your height.
4. Walk backwards (away from the tree) holding the yardstick at arm’s length, until the paper strip is level with the 1” mark on the yardstick.
5. Note where the treetop reaches on the inch scale on the yardstick. Multiply that height by your height, and you’ll have the approximate height of the tree. (Note: This activity works equally well irrespective of a person’s height.)

EXAMPLE: Your height is 64 inches. Distance sighted on the yardstick from base of tree to top is 9 inches; 64 x 9 = 576 inches (or 48 feet). This tree is approximately 48 feet high.

FUN FACTS: The tallest tree in the world is a redwood tree (name: Hyperion) located in Northern California. Its overall height is 380.8 feet, making it taller than the Statue of Liberty (305 feet). The dwarf willow tree is the world’s smallest tree. It lives in arctic and subarctic environments and grows to heights of no more than two inches (the diameter of a watch face).

4. Leaf Scavenger Hunt

Leaves are very important in the life of a tree. Their main function is to produce food for the plant through a biological process known as photosynthesis. Leaves are often shaped to collect lots of sunlight, which is then converted, via cells known as chloroplasts, into food. Tree leaves also have tiny openings (stomata) on their undersides that take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen (O2). Basically, there are two types of trees: evergreens, which keep their leaves throughout the year, and deciduous trees, which shed their leaves every year, usually in the fall.

Trees’ leaves come in many shapes and sizes. For this activity, divide campers into several pairs and invite them to visit a nearby group of trees or forest with a diversity of tree species. Ask them to examine several different trees to locate some of the following leaf types. They can draw illustrations of the leaves or take photos with cameras the camp provides (no cell phones needed):

• A yellow leaf (or one with yellow on it)
• A red leaf (or one with red on it)
• A green leaf (or one with green on it)
• A brown leaf (or one with brown on it)
• A leaf with three points
• A leaf with one point
• A leaf with a rough edge
• A leaf with a smooth edge
• A leaf with a hole in it
• A small leaf
• A large leaf

Feel free to add more leaf features as dictated by local tree species.

FUN FACTS: The tree with the largest leaves in the world is the Raphia regalis, which grows in several African countries. Its leaves are up to 82 feet long (longer than two school buses parked end to end) by 10 feet wide (the height of a basketball hoop). The dwarf willow tree (previously mentioned) has the smallest leaves of any tree; each is less than one inch in length.

5. Chlorophyll Prints

Chlorophyll is present in all green leaves. Using energy from sunlight chlorophyll is converted into a special sugar known as glucose (this is the process of photosynthesis). Glucose is food for the tree — food it uses for growth and maintenance. Without chlorophyll, trees would not be able to survive, thus every tree’s leaves are critical for its overall survival.

1. Invite campers to create their own chlorophyll prints.
2. Instruct each child to select one or more fresh green leaves from a nearby tree.
3. Ask each camper to place those leaves on a sheet of white paper with the top side (usually a darker green) facing up.
4. Have youngsters place a paper towel on top of each leaf, place each leaf “sandwich” on a firm surface, and with a hammer (make sure they are appropriately supervised or do the hammering yourself), tap each leaf firmly with several blows.
5. Remove the paper towel and invite each camper to note the shape of each leaf outlined in green (chlorophyll). Campers can write a description, or take turns describing their chlorophyll printings as a group.

FUN FACTS: Chlorophyll is what gives green vegetables their color. The darker the green, the higher its chlorophyll content. Spinach has one of the highest chlorophyll concentrations, with around 24 milligrams per cup. There are a few plants without chlorophyll, such as Beechdrops, Indian Pipes, and Dodders (they have no green and are parasitic) but no trees without this essential element.

6. How Old?

Scientists often determine the age of a tree in one of two ways. Traditionally they use an instrument known as a Swedish increment borer, which is screwed into a tree (and then twisted out again) to remove a core of wood. The rings on that core are then counted to determine the tree’s age (one ring for each year of life). Note that this does not harm a tree in any way. The age of trees can also be determined by counting their annual rings on a stump (normally after a tree has been cut down). However, here is a method campers can use to determine a tree’s age without any damage:

1. Invite each camper to select a large tree.
2. Using a tape measure, have each youngster measure the tree’s circumference (the distance around the tree’s trunk) at a point about 4.5 feet above the ground.
3. Calculate the tree’s diameter by dividing the tree’s circumference by 3.14 (younger campers may need help with this).
4. Then, multiply the diameter by the tree’s growth factor — which is specific for each species of tree — using the following chart:

Cottonwood – 2.0	White Birch – 5.0	Red Oak – 4.0
Sugar Maple – 5.0	Ironwood – 7.0	River Birch – 3.5
White Oak – 5.0	Black Walnut – 4.5	Basswood – 3.0
Dogwood – 7.0	Silver Maple – 3.0	Shagbark Hickory – 7.5
Red Maple – 4.5	American Elm – 4.0	Redbud – 7.0
Pin Oak – 3.0	Black Cherry – 5.0	Green Ash – 4.0

Note: You can find the growth factor for other tree species not on this list at your local county Extension Service or on the internet.

Example: An American Elm has a circumference of 135 inches (at a height of 4.5 feet above the ground). Divide the circumference by 3.14 (diameter = 43 inches). Multiply the diameter (43 inches) by the growth factor for American Elms (4.0). The estimated age is 172 years.

FUN FACTS: Arguably, one of the oldest trees in the world is a Palmer’s Oak in Southern California. It has been scientifically tested to be approximately 15,600 +/- 2,500 years old. A grove of aspen trees in south-central Utah has been scientifically estimated to be approximately 9,000 years old.

7. Adopt a Tree

Campers can learn a lot about trees (and one tree in particular) with this long-term (multiweek) project. Early in the camp session invite each youngster to select a single tree in proximity to the camp. Inform campers that they are going to “adopt” that specific tree and monitor it for an extended period of time. Tell them that they will each visit their selected tree at least once a day throughout the session. Invite them to note specific features or changes (i.e., critters crawling on the trunk, peeling bark, cracked branches) throughout the entire camp period. You may wish to have them select several activities from the following list:

Give the tree a special name.	Identify the species (use a guidebook).	Draw a picture or take a photo of the tree.
Record any unusual markings.	Determine its height and/or age.	Collect some leaves and create a collage.
What kinds of birds visit the tree?	What nests are in or around the tree?	Make a list of six adjectives for the tree.
Make a leaf or bark rubbing of the tree.	What insects can be found on the tree?	How does it change over time?
Describe the shape/size of the branches.	How many different colors are on the tree?	Visit the tree at night. What do you notice?
What makes this tree distinctive?	How would you describe the roots?	Write a “thank you” letter to the tree.

FUN FACTS: Two of the most unusual trees in the world include the Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree in Indonesia with bark that is green, orange, purple, and maroon, and the Dragon Blood Tree in Yemen, which has sap that looks just like animal (or dragon’s) blood.

Weaving these lessons into daily camp activities can result in a true celebration of trees in concert with a deep appreciation for the importance of nature in each camper’s life. In turn, youngsters will gain a new respect for forests and their incredible inhabitants.

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” – Henry David Thoreau

---

Anthony D. Fredericks, EdD, is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania, a national consultant on science education, and a former elementary school teacher. A passionate “tree-hugger” and award-winning nonfiction author of numerous natural history books, his latest adult titles include In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey Among Ancient Trees (amzn.to/4r9A8Tc) and The Healing Wisdom of the Forest: Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility, and Joy (amzn.to/49tDjP8). Fredericks can be reached at anthonyfredericks.com.