#1181 Trees for Schools (and Parks and Earth)

In the fall of 2015 I was weeding our garden. I pulled a small spruce tree.
As it came out of the ground I realized that tree was valuable for our classroom and the students.
I quickly planted it in a pot and brought it to school. We learned about the tree, science and math… it even served as our class Christmas tree. It was a weedy “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” but it was perfect!

In the spring, we planted the tree at school. Students wrote a wish on a cedar shim that were placed around the tree. At the end of the school year I asked a student if she ever visited the class tree in the school yard. “Everyday,” she beamed!


I realized the power of trees in the classroom…
Since then I have built learning around potted trees that I introduce to class. We write about them, compare them, measure them, research them… and eventually the trees get planted at school. Students develop a connection with the trees (and related learning.) So good.

Rewind 30+ years: I worked as a tree planter for 4 summers and planted about 240,000 trees in Ontario and Alberta, Quebec and British Columbia. It was a tough job. I loved it. I still have access to two of the tiny trees from 1989. They’re now 5 metres tall.

Trees in this post are some of the trees planted at schools. Below is our backyard tree nursery. Most of these trees come from seed, tree giveaways or from our own yard.

Since 2015 I’ve planted 20-50 trees each year at schools, parks and beyond. I love watching them grow.
Want some trees? Look for free tree giveaways in your community, buy them from a nursery or grow them from seed. Enjoy!

#1178 One Year Anniversary – Online Inquiry Videos

One year ago – April 25, 2020 – I posted the first of my inquiry videos that set the tone of the 70 that have followed…

It all started shortly after COVID closed our schools. An educational assistant and teacher suggested I create a short video to share with the Grade 1s in our school. I didn’t take long to agree. Thanks Kristine and Jenna!

A big thanks to you, the students, teachers and families for watching and inspiring me to create more.
I had hoped to reach 1000 subscribers by the one year anniversary.
Today, there are 1107 subscribers.
Thank-you!

Please subscribe and click notifications on if you want to hear about the latest videos before everyone else!

Watch this recent video Swamp Sounds! What’s Making all that Noise?!

#1177 Inquiry Video Anniversary (and Subscriber Goal!)

Shortly after COVID shut down live schooling a year ago, I created a video to support students learning from home…

Almost a year later, 70 inquiry videos support young students learning from home, public schools and forest schools. The videos support math, language, science through questions and curiosity – usually with an outdoor focus.

Since April 2020, the videos have boomed a little boom. At time of writing videos have attracted 981 subscribers. My goal is to exceed 1000 subscribers by the video anniversary – April 25, 2021.

Want to support young learners?

Subscribe!
… And click the notification bell to receive news of the latest videos:

The most viewed video:

One of my favourites:

Another favourite:

A recent video:

The first one in the style adopted:

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#1173 Kindergarten and Primary Inquiry Videos – Gravity, Mystery Hole and Frozen Ponds

What keeps the water in the upside down bucket?!
What lives in the hole in the ground??
Why is the pond water hard?

This month’s videos challenge young learners to think, question and develop strategies to find the answers.

Watch the inquiry videos. They have easy connections to Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum!

See the notes (underneath the YouTube video in the description) for learning extensions and links to more information.

How does the water stay in the bucket… even when it’s upside down?!

Who or what lives in the hole in the ground?!

What happened to the water?

See all the videos.

We’re always looking for ideas to support Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 learning with links to the Ontario curriculum and appropriate for homeschoolers and Forest School fans!

Subscribe and share!

#1172 Inquiry Videos for Kinder and Elementary Students, Homeschoolers and Forest School

What keeps my milk in the cup?
Why are lemons and bubbles circular or spherical?
Building bird nests and human homes…

This month’s videos challenge young learners to think, question and develop strategies to find the answers.

Watch the inquiry videos. They have easy connections to Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum!

See the notes (underneath the YouTube video in the description) for learning extensions and links to more information.

What keeps my milk in the cup? What happens to a cup of milk in outer space?

Why are lemons (and so many other things in nature) spherical?!

Building bird nests and human homes… What would you use to build a home?

See all the videos.

We’re always looking for ideas to support Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 learning with links to the Ontario curriculum and appropriate for homeschoolers and Forest School fans!

Subscribe and share!

#1171 Counting Pickles, Estimating Tree Age and Cicadas

How many pickles are in the jar?
How old is this tree?
Investigate the lifecycle of the cicada!

This month’s videos challenge young learners to think, question and develop strategies to find the answers.

Watch the inquiry videos. They have easy connections to Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum!

See the notes (underneath the YouTube video in the description) for learning extensions and links to more information.

How many pickles are in the jar?! What is your strategy for guessing?

How old is this tree? How can you find out?

Explore the life of a cicada and create your own story!

See all the videos.

We’re always looking for ideas to support Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 learning with links to the Ontario curriculum and appropriate for homeschoolers and Forest School fans!

Subscribe and share!

#1169 Pigs, Patterns, Sticks & Stones: Inquiry Videos for Kindergarten and Primary Students!

What do you know about pigs?
Find a way out of the fern forest using patterns!
What’s the difference between sticks and stones?!

This month’s videos challenge young learners to think, question and develop strategies to find answers.

Watch the videos. 
See the notes (underneath the YouTube video in the description) for learning extensions and links to more information.

PIGS!
Kindergaretn & primary grade inquiry into the the life of pigs on the farm!


Patterns
Where do you see patterns? Help Mr. Harry describe them and see if he can get out of the fern forest!


Sticks & Stones!
How are they different?
Which one floats?
Which one sinks?
WHY!?

See all the videos including:
• Baby chicks
• Gus the bull calf
• Wasps and nests

We’re always looking for ideas to support Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 learning with links to the Ontario curriculum and appropriate for homeschoolers and Forest School fans!

Subscribe and share!