While many families learn about trees in the fall, Arbor Day is a great time to think about the role trees play in the world. Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April each year.

I’ve assembled a collection of tree-themed activities for your family to enjoy this spring with an Arbor Day unit study.

Julius Sterling Morton, Creator of Arbor Day

From the article Learn the History Behind Arbor Day—and Plant a Tree!, we learn about the man behind the creation of Arbor Day, Julius Sterling Morton.

Arbor Day sprouted from the mind of a zealous tree lover named Julius Sterling Morton, who had a passion for planting all kinds of trees.

Morton was born in Adams, New York, in 1832, but his life took a decisive turn on his wedding day in October 1854. After he and his bride, Caroline Joy French, were married in Detroit, they headed west for adventure in the wilds of Nebraska Territory. The couple settled on 160 treeless acres (the key word here is treeless).

Despite having a busy career and four sons, Morton planted thousands of trees on the homestead he called the Morton “ranche.” He planted an apple orchard, as well as peach, plum, and pear trees, plus cottonwoods, evergreens, beeches, and more.

Morton took every opportunity he could to spread the word. He gave speeches and filled his newspaper with agricultural advice, urging Nebraskans to plant trees and try new crops.

Today, the family home, Arbor Lodge, is a state park in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Over the years, Arbor Lodge grew from a four-room home into a 52-room mansion, complete with a terraced garden, a pine grove, and 65 acres of more than 250 varieties of trees and shrubs.

Arbor Day Unit Study Ideas

Here are ideas for an Arbor Day unit study you can easily put together to use in your homeschool.

KWL – Complete a free Arbor Day KWL to get the learning started. You might be surprised what your children bring up in the process. If you’ve never used a KWL, see this post of mine to learn more about this valuable tool: Using A KWL In Your Homeschool Unit Study.

History – Use the websites for Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Mansion.

Geography – Label a map of Nebraska with the important locations related to Arbor Day.

Science – Use Tree Fun Fact Cards to explore interesting facts about trees.

Poetry – Read and discuss:

• “The Tree” by Sarah Coleridge
• “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer

Word Search – Complete an Arbor Day word search.

Handwriting – Learn interesting facts about trees while practicing handwriting with Trees Copywork – Print & Cursive in my shop.

Gardening – Visit a local nursery and purchase a tree to take home and plant.

Research – Research the importance of trees and the role they play in our world. Create a “Trees Are Important” collage. Cut out or draw pictures of things we use from the various parts of trees.

Art – Take your favorite art supplies outside to paint or sketch a tree.

Art – Design a postage stamp in honor of Arbor Day or Julius Sterling Morton.

Happy Arbor Day!