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HARTINGTON — Earth Day and Arbor Day are special days set aside to recognize the importance of trees and natural resources. They also provide an ideal opportunity to teach our youth about the value of trees in our lives.
Trees are integral to life as we know it, from the food they produce, the shade they provide, the wildlife habitat they create, and the countless products humans produce from them. It is important to teach the nation’s youth to understand, respect, and protect trees and other natural resources.
The Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District provides seedlings to area kindergarten classrooms. This year, LCNRD presented seedlings to eight kindergarten classrooms, including Bloomfield, Crofton, East/ West Elementary, Hartington-Newcastle, Holy Trinity Elementary, Allen, Wynot, and Ponca/Jackson.
During each classroom visit, a story called “Acorn Was A Little Wild,” by Jen Arena, was read to the kindergarteners. It depicts the life of an acorn from seed to oak. Then, the kindergarteners participated in a tree life cycle activity where the kids pretended to grow from seed to large oak trees, which was a big hit! The kids were also instructed on how to plant their seedlings and where to properly plant them with adult supervision.
The last few minutes are set aside for questions and silly tree stories that the students want to share.
LCNRD offers a variety of hands-on activities, classroom presentations, career exploration, and more! All activities are free of charge and presented by an LCNRD I&E Technician! Most activities can be adjusted to fit specific classroom needs for Kindergarten through 12th grade. To find a list of educational activities, go to https://lcnrd.nebraska.gov/education/classroom-presentations- activities or call the office at 402-254-6758.
