Nature provides such wonderful opportunities for learning. When children gain knowledge about a topic, they are given the chance to develop emotional connections. Learning about forests helps deepen a connection about something very important, trees! These activities for kids with a forest theme will help kids understand the different types of forests around the world, and why we should show care and concern for these great green spaces around our planet.

Activities for Kids to Learn About Forests

Forests are one of the most common and important ecosystems on Earth. The trees help produce oxygen that all living things need, they provide homes for many animals, and they aid in keeping the air we breathe clean. These can all be taught through hands-on learning with these fun activities for kids!

Forest Science Activities

• Explore chromatography and Autumn leaves with this fun science experiment.
• Here are 9 interesting facts about rainforests, including that they are home to over half of the worlds animal species!
• Listen to the Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, they have some great episodes about trees, nature, and so much more!
• Collect seeds from trees and observe them, taking them apart and learning about how new trees grow.
• Make these tree jars with leaves and seeds to identify the different types of trees that forests are made up of.
• Lay a white sheet on the ground and shake a tree! This will help you observe some of the tiny bugs that depend on a forest habitat.

Forest-Themed Arts & Crafts

• Print and color some of these fun rainforest coloring pages.
• Make your own paper at home.
• Collect some forest treasures and paint with nature.
• Make leaf and bark rubbings to observe differences from tree to tree.
• Preserve tree leaves with glycerin to keep a leaf journal.
• Make a woodland creature mask and act out what it would be like living in a forest.
• Create your own mini forest ecosystem replica in a shoebox, or check out this one in a sandbox!

Experiential Forest Learning Activities

• Visit a national park or a public forest and note the different types of trees.
• Check out an environmental center to learn more about the trees and forest-dwelling species in your area.
• Join the Junior Rangers program.
• Check out some books from the library about the forest, here is a great list for young kids.
• Attend a local free forest school class with your kids. Related: What are Forest Schools?
• Head out on a scavenger hunt to see just how many things you can find in the forest.
• Get to know some common animal tracks (here is a great resource) and go out on a trek to identify some!

All of these activities for kids about the forest will help kids develop a love for nature. Caring for our trees and forests throughout the world is important for a number of reasons, and helping our kids learn and understand what the forests provide is a great first step.

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