Identify a Tree Nature Study Journal Pages for Preschool to 5th graders

Let your students discover how to find the names of the trees in their world with these hands-on and engaging “Identify a Tree” nature journal pages

Learning how to identify a tree in one’s surroundings is a large part of a nature study. As an introduction to dendrology (the study of trees), use these nature study journal pages to help your students determine the names of the different woody plants they’ll find during their nature study.

Dendrology is a subfield of botany which focuses on the study of woody plants. Many people often take the term “dendrology” to refer specifically to the study of trees, although it can encompass shrubs and woody vines as well.

https://www.allthingsnature.org/what-is-dendrology.htm

Do your kids act like they are sometimes “allergic” to the Great Outdoors because they’d rather stay inside with their devices? Check out this list of seven activities that help kids connect with nature.

Your toddlers may like these printable nature scavenger hunts to take along while your older kids are identifying trees.

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Resources to Help Your Students Identify a Tree

Library List

The World Encyclopedia of Trees: A Reference and Identification Guide to 1300 of the World’s Most Significant Trees by Tony Russell

Trees Up Close: The Beauty of Their Bark, Leaves, Flowers, and Seeds (Seeing Series) by Nancy Ross Hugo

Trees: Revised and Updated (A Golden Guide from St. Martin’s Press) by Alexander C. Martin

Online Resources

How to Identify Trees in the Winter with Adventure Archives

Family Handyman‘s tips to ID a tree

How to Use the “Identify a Tree” nature journal worksheets

In order for your students to identify a tree, you’ll need to print out one set of the four pages for each tree your student will be examining.

On those pages, your students will have a chance to create a leaf rubbing of the tree’s bark and one of its leaves.

Next, they will determine the overall shape of the tree and then draw their tree’s shape.

To help the students determine what main category the tree is in, they will examine the tree’s leaves to see if they are broad leaf or needles. Then they can draw a picture of the leaf.

Finally, students will note whether or not the tree currently has flowers, fruit, or seeds. If so, they can draw what those look like on the page.

Identify a Tree Nature Study Journal Pages

More Resources for Your Study of Trees & Plants

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