This document summarizes a project conducted with 4-5 year old children to teach them about plant life. The project involved outdoor observations of trees and collecting samples. Children learned to identify different trees, their leaves and fruits. They observed seasonal changes. Activities included drawing trees, matching leaves to fruits, and planting acorn seeds. The children demonstrated their understanding of what plants need to live and grow. They learned trees are made of bark, roots, trunks and foliage through hands-on exploration.

1. Life of plants
“Comenius Project”
S.Y. 2013-2014
Project Meeting in ItalyProject Meeting in Italy
from 20. January 2014 to 25. January 2014

2. Targets
• Observing and recognizing natural elements in their
territory
• Exploring with curiosity phenomena and events
• Getting to know the main types of trees, their leaves
and fruits
• Recognizing the change of season through the
observation of plants
• Improving the capacity to observe, formulate simple
hypotesis, experiment and verify previsions ( use of a
scientific method )

3. METHODOLOGY
The project has been thought for the school kids with an age
between 4 and 5
It’s made of 2 phases which complete each other:
 In the first phase we have privileged the outdoor
observation and research, in direct contact with nature
This step includes the educational visit and the collection
of the wood “treasures” (leaf samples, fruits, moss, little
branches)
 In the second phase we’ve engaged the subject of the
plants life through linguistic, pictorial, expressive and
logical activities

4. SPACES AND TIMES
 The project has touched all the fields of experience
 It’s been carried out between October and the end
of November
 The school indoor spaces and internal yard have been
used
 The teachers have been supported by the precious
collaboration of Pinzano al Tagliamento Forest
Rangers

5. To understand the children competences and
knowledge of the topic “the Forest”, we’ve projected
to both groups a few slides regarding the flora and the
fauna.
This has been a useful chance to stress the correct
behaviours to follow in order to preserve the plants
and the animals living in the forest.
At the end of the brainstorming where everyone could
share experiences, ideas and opinions with the
classmates, we gave every child the task to draw their
own forest. Using a paper sheet and marker pens, this
is a part of the drawings created with this habitat in
mind……

6. Drawings created
by 4 year old children…

7. … and 5 year old children

8. November the 7th was finally the day of the visit !!
With the collaboration of Manuela and Pier, our forest rangers, we observed
closely the Valeriano forest.
How many things we had the chance to discover….
The trees are
different one
from the
other
depending on
their bark.
We learned this is a tree while
the hazel tree is a shrub.
HAZEL TREE
CHESTNUT TREE

9. We observed the trees have different leaves depending not
only on their colour but on their shape.
The maple leaves are webbed and
resemble our hand.
The
chestnut
tree leaves
are lance
shaped
with
serrated
edges
The oak
has lobe
shaped
leaves

10. The treasures collected in the forest (leaves, acorns,..) were useful to create
many decorations for our school
In the classrooms we
recreated branches
using autumn leaves

11. Some colorful elves welcome you at the entrance of our school and take care
of what has been collected by every child in the forest.
The children have also been very keen at matching the leaves to the fruit of
the correspondent tree.

12. 5 year old children created trees to decorate the hall.
Lying on a large paper sheet, they positioned their arms
to resemble their tree:
curved over the head and here it is a thick foliage;
stretched to simulate a long pine.

13. During the visit we observed the trees in their seasonal changing:
from here the idea for the graphic-pictorial activities.
The 4 year old children trees…

14. … and those of
the 5 year old

15. During the visit at the forest of Valeriano we found several acorns and some
of them, because of the heavy rains, were sprouted.
Back at the school we planted them in flower pots using the soil
collected in the forest and …..
….in a short time some little oak plants were born.
We’re now waiting for them to grow to be planted in our yard !!

16. This was a great opportunity to talk about the growing of trees from
a scientific point of view and to give an answer to some questions
emerged from discussions with the children .
How are
they made
of??
What do
they
eat ??
How do they
grow??
What does a
tree need
to live
and grow??

17. HOW A TREE IS BORN
We found out all the trees come from a small seed fallen into the ground and
at first they are just little plants, very delicate just like the one that has
grown in our pot.
But then it becomes
strong and robust and
starts to produce
flowers from which
new fruits that
contain seeds will be
born.

18. WHAT DO TREES NEED TO LIVE
AND GROW ??
From discussions
emerged with 5 year old
children in the
classroom, we all share
the same answer:
LAND
WATER
LIGHT
WARMTH
By using watercolours,
scissors, glue and some
pre-graphics, here is
what was created …

19. WHAT ARE THE TREES MADE OF ??
In our yard also there are some trees different one another and so,
one morning, we went out to observe and touch them….
We observed in the upper section the foliage, in the lower the
roots and touched the bark. This was for us a new word because it
was a part of the tree we still didn’t know !!

20. With paper, scissors, brushes and rope 4 year old children
have rebuilt the tree.
A rought brown
coloured
cardboard for
the bark …
… and then lots of leaves
for a wonderful foliage !
...from the trunk
the branches
start and the
roots are in the
ground…
And here it
comes their
tree.

21. The activity with 5 year old children was handled from a linguistic point of
view also. As a consequence the words were completed, cut and matched to
the correspondent part of the tree.
We didn’t even forget the graphic-pictorial perspective.
Tapping the foliage with brush and temperas, every child created his own
autumn tree …..

22. In the end, after understanding the main parts of a tree, we focused on
and explained their functions.
“Every tree has roots that keep them linked to the soil.
The roots have also the function to absorb from the soil the water and the mineral salts.
The tree has a trunk connecting the leaves to the roots in the soil.
Inside the trunk there are little tubes bringing the water and salts to the leaves.
All trees have leaves which have different shapes and dimensions.”
The coloured
words were
changed, during
the reading, with
children drawings.