Little Earth Friends (Ages 2-4)
📖 STORY (Read to child – 2 minutes)
“Trees are tall!
Trees have brown trunks – rough bark!
Trees have green leaves – rustle, rustle!
Birds live in trees – tweet, tweet!
Squirrels live in trees – running up and down!
Trees give us shade – so cool!
Trees give us air to breathe!
We love trees! We take care of trees!”
🎨 ACTIVITY 1: Tree Hug
Time: 5 minutes
Type: Outdoor sensory exploration
You Need:
- A tree!
- Your arms!
What to Do:
- Find a tree (park, garden, street)
- “Let’s hug the tree!”
- Child wraps arms around trunk
- Feel the bark: “Rough! Bumpy!”
- Look up: “See the leaves?”
- “Thank you, tree!”
What They Learn:
- Direct connection to nature
- Trees are alive
- Sensory exploration (rough bark)
- Gentleness with living things
🍃 ACTIVITY 2: Leaf Collection
Time: 10 minutes
Type: Nature exploration
You Need:
- Trees with fallen leaves
- Small bag or bucket
What to Do:
- Collect 5-10 leaves from ground (not from tree!)
- Look at different shapes, colors, sizes
- “This one is big! This one is tiny!”
- “This one is green! This one is brown!”
- Take home, press in book or make collage
What They Learn:
- Observation skills
- Classification (big/small, colors)
- Nature appreciation
- Gentle handling
🌱 ACTIVITY 3: Plant a Seed
Time: 10 minutes setup, ongoing care
Type: Planting project
You Need:
- Small pot
- Soil
- Bean seed (fast growing!)
- Water
What to Do:
- Fill pot with soil
- Child pokes hole with finger
- Drop in seed
- Cover with soil
- Water!
- Place in sunny window
- Water every few days, watch it grow!
What They Learn:
- Plants grow from seeds
- Caring for living things
- Patience (seeds take time!)
- Daily routine and responsibility
📝 VOCABULARY WORDS
- Tree – Tall plant with trunk and branches
- Leaves – Green parts on trees
- Trunk – Strong brown part of tree
- Branches – Tree’s arms
- Seed – Tiny thing that grows into plant
- Grow – Getting bigger
👨👩👧 TIPS FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS
Age Adjustments:
- Age 2: Focus on tree hugging and leaf touching, adult handles seed planting
- Age 3: Can collect leaves more actively, help with planting
- Age 4: Can plant seed more independently, understand growth process better
Safety Notes:
- Check for poison ivy before leaf collecting!
- Supervise planting (soil can go in mouth!)
- Wash hands after outdoor activities
- Some trees have sharp bark – choose friendly trees!
Tree Hug Tips:
- Start with smooth-bark trees (birch, beech)
- Make it silly and fun (squeeze tight!)
- Count: “How many of you to hug this tree?” (2? 3? Big tree!)
- Listen: “Can you hear the tree breathing?” (wind in leaves)
Seed Growing Success:
- Bean seeds = fastest! (see sprout in days!)
- Keep soil moist but not soggy
- Document growth with daily photos
- Celebrate: “Look how big it got!”
Extension Ideas:
- Bark rubbing with paper and crayon
- Build leaf people (glue on paper, draw faces)
- Count tree rings (if you find a stump)
- Seasonal tree watching (same tree, different seasons)
What Success Looks Like:
- Child hugs trees gently
- Excited to collect leaves
- Checks on plant daily
- Says “trees are alive!”
🌟 CONNECTION TO OTHER TOPICS
- Topic 1 (Earth): Trees grow on Earth’s land!
- Topic 2 (Water): Trees need water!
- Topic 3 (Sun): Trees need sunshine!
- Topic 5 (Animals): Animals live IN trees!
Trees need everything to grow – just like us! 🌳
Part of Little Earth Friends – Ages 2-4
Building love for Earth from the very beginning
