A list of simple activities tailored for elementary-aged scouts to learn about and save Trees.
- Visit a nearby arboretum or botanical garden to explore and learn about different trees in your area.
- Go on a walk around your neighborhood to find and identify different types of trees. Use a guidebook or app to help!
- Collect leaves that have fallen from trees and make a colorful collage or scrapbook.
- Check out a book about trees from the library. Read it and share something cool you learned with your family or friends.
- Plant a tree in your yard, school, or park with an adult’s help. Watch it grow and take care of it.
- Use a measuring tape to find the size of trees near you—measure their trunk and see if you can guess how old they might be.
- Make bark rubbings by placing paper on a tree trunk and using crayons to rub over it. Compare bark patterns from different trees.
- Learn how trees clean the air and write a short story or draw a picture about why trees are important.
- Start a “Tree Log” to record the trees you see and any animals living near them.
- Look for spots where tree roots stop soil from washing away, and talk about how trees help protect the ground.
- Organize a clean-up near trees in your park or neighborhood to keep their habitats safe.
- Draw a poster showing the parts of a tree (roots, trunk, branches, leaves) and explain how they work together.
- Talk with your family about using less paper at home and why it helps save trees.
- Find out which trees grow best in your area and make a plan to plant one with your scout group.
- Celebrate trees by hosting a “Tree Party” with your group. Make crafts, play games, and share what you’ve learned about trees!
These activities are fun and perfectly suited for younger scouts to actively engage with and learn about trees.
–
Connected Official GSUSA Badges:
Daisy – Daisy Numbers in Nature – 1 Requirement: 1) Make shadows (yourself, a self-made tree) at two different times of day, tracing the shadow with chalk or string each time and then compare the silhouette and outline
Daisy – Daisy Shapes in Nature – 3 Requirements: 1) Look (outside, around home, video on nature) and draw natural things you see an tally how often you see that shape AND 2) Look for patterns in nature (things or sounds) or sort sticks into short, medium, and long – create your own pattern from the things you saw or the sticks you sorted. AND 3) Make something (mobile) with 4 natural objects or shapes, create a textured pattern or make a song or dance about what you did in this badge
Brownie – Brownie Design with Nature – 1 Requirement: 1) Pick something (trees, pets, snakes) and calculate the age (tree rings, dog years, length of snake) of several subjects.
Brownie – Brownie Shapes in Nature – 3 Requirements: 1) Make a foldable with 4 categories (like animals, plants, bugs, and rocks) to tally the things you see (like objects you see during a walk, or objects in a certain area) AND 2) Use the data from the 4 categories in Step 1 to make a graph (bar graph, pie chart, or word cloud) AND 3) Draw tessellations (patterns without space) from objects (leaves or kitchen items) or make them with different colors of paper/fabric
Junior – Junior Numbers in Nature – 3 Requirements: 1) Measure the circumference of the tree AND then calculate one of the things you can tell from it (age, how health it is, OR how much carbon a tree has stored) AND 2) Trace several shadows (tree, your own, OR other objects) AND measure the height of the shadow to compare to the measured height of the thing creating the shadow to understand the shadow is proportional to the thing AND 3) Choose what to measure (a leaf, a garden, OR a landmass) AND measure the perimeter and area (Trace it on graph paper (if an object) using string to outline it AND then measuring the string (calculating it based on scale of the map if measuring something larger than a leaf) AND then use the grid to count the approximate area (scale it if using a map for something larger than the paper).
Cadette – Trees – 5 Requirements: 1) Do a fun tree centered activity (visit an orchard, design a tree house, OR cook a dish using an ingredient from a tree). AND 2) Learn a tree science aspect (identify at least five different trees on a walk, sketch and label tree parts AND include three kinds of plants or animals that use the tree you sketched, OR learn how fires play a healthy role in forests by talking to a fire expert or ranger). AND 3) Make a tree centered craft (use leaves or barks as inspiration, draw/paint/sculpt/photograph a tree, write a poem/song about a tree, OR find three legends of trees AND make your own tree legend). AND 4) Do an activity that explores the connection between humans and trees (visit a lumberyard AND chart how wood travels from forest to the lumberyard, talk to a landscaper or arborist to learn about local trees that thrive AND design a dream tree garden, OR research logging, clear-cutting, or deforestation AND hold a debate arguing on both the pro and con side of the issue). AND 5) Care for a tree (plant one AND care for it for one month OR take care of a tree for one month) OR follow an arborist and learn about tree maintenance and care
GSUSA Tree Promise
Tree Promise Printable Pledge by The Badge Archive
–
For More Fun Ideas and Plans
for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scouts
Join the Girl Scout Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Leader Help Facebook Group
(Not an official GSUSA Group)
This is a supportive Facebook community for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Girl Scout leaders. Whether you’re seeking advice, fresh ideas, or meeting plans, you’re in the right place! Let’s inspire each other, share our experiences, and make every troop meeting a memorable adventure.
Find out how you can support The Badge Archive!
Return to the Make an Eco-Difference.
The Badge Archive 