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Inspire young people connect with the environment through hands-on, multidisciplinary
activities for all grades, settings and subject levels

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Activity
3 young girls examine pine needles outdoors

To Be a Tree

Students create a model tree costume, which helps them gain a deeper understanding of the form and function of the basic tree parts. This activity serves as an initial exploration into tree growth and provides a foundation for more observations.

K-2
Activity
3 young girls examine pine needles outdoors

The Closer You Look

Students observe trees and collect data about them. They then draw a picture of a tree and compare and contrast it to the one they drew in the Engage: Picture a Tree activity.

K-2
Activity
Cover of Environmental Quality Investigation activity guide over top of a light green leafy background.

Environmental Quality Investigation

Students investigate areas where improvements can be made in indoor air quality, transportation, chemical use, and more.

Activity
Cover of Energy Investigation activity guide over background of solar panels in a field.

Energy Investigation

Students investigate how much energy their school uses, the main sources of that energy, and ways to implement energy-saving strategies.

Activity Guide
Cover of GreenSchool Investigations cover over a background of trees

GreenSchools Investigations

Learn about the benefits of becoming a GreenSchool and how to form a Green Team and obtain equipment. Get suggestions for how students might conduct the investigations and why, and tips for collecting data.

Unit
cover of PLT's Teaching with i-Tree activity guide over a background of a closeup of a pine branch

Teaching with i-Tree

Three hands-on activities that help middle and high school students discover and analyze the many ecosystem services that trees provide. Students use the i-Tree tool to analyze data they collected about the trees in their community.

Learn About Forests

Learn About Forests: Web of Life

This Learn About Forest activity is perfect for forest sector professionals leading educational events, career days, or field visits with youth. By creating a physical web, learners model the interconnectedness of organisms in an ecosystem.

Learn About Forests

Learn About Forests: Tree Cookies

This Learn About Forest activity is perfect for forest sector professionals leading educational events, career days, or field visits with youth. Learners examine cross-sections of trees and infer from a tree’s growth rings.

Unit

Learn About Forests

Engage middle school-aged youth in learning about trees, forests, and sustainable forest management with these free ready-to-use activities to engage youth in learning about sustainable forest management.

Activity
the cover of PLT's Focus on Forests module in front of a background of automn leaves on the ground

Focus on Forests

Students examine ecological systems of a forest; analyze interdependencies within a forest ecosystem; and explore factors, like fire, that shape the development of forests.

Unit
Cover of PLT's Places We Live activity guide over a background of a lake, mountains, and canoers

Exploring Environmental Issues: Places We Live

Through eight hands-on activities, students explore current and future community environmental issues.

Activity
Thermometer Sun 40 Degres. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures

Burning Issues

Students graph changes in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) over the course of several decades and identify possible reasons for those changes. They also explore the relationship among CO2, the Earth’s climate, and wildland fires.

6-8
Activity
Group of multi-ethnic people, people with differing abilities , volunteers with garbage bags cleaning park area

Helping Hands

Students plan and, if possible, carry out a service-learning project that focuses on making positive environmental changes in their community.

Activity
The cover of the Waste and Recycling Investigation activity over a background of discarded plastic bottles.

Waste & Recycling Investigation

Students investigate how much waste your school generates and where it goes, as well as recycling and composting efforts.

Activity
cover of School Site Investigation activity guide over a green background.

School Site Investigation

Students assess their school grounds on the basis of various criteria. Using the data collected from the Investigation, students can develop action projects to improve the school site to make it a more sustainable, healthier, and safer environment.