Parts of a Tree

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Trees can be found nearly everywhere on earth.

• Do you have any trees near your home? 
• Where do they grow? 
• What do they look like?

Share your answer with your parent or teacher.

All trees grow from seeds. The pictures below show some different types of seeds that grow into trees. Pine cones grow into pine trees, acorns grow into oak trees, and samara (helicopter seeds) grow into maple trees.

• Do you recognize any of the seeds below?

A seed needs water, sunlight, air, and nutrients from the soil to grow. If a tree seed gets everything it needs, it will start to grow.

The first part of a tree that comes out of the seed is the roots. The roots of the tree usually grow underground, but sometimes the roots will peek out from under the soil.

• Have you ever seen roots growing above the ground?

Share your story with your parent or teacher.

Roots are important because they hold the tree in the ground. Without roots, the tree would tip over! Roots are also great for absorbing the nutrients from the soil and sucking up water.

• Did you know tree roots store extra water for the tree to use for when there isn't much water?

Look at the picture of the tree roots of a mango tree (below).

• Can you see the exposed roots at the bottom of the tree?

^{Image by BloobPhotos, via Flickr, is licensed under the CC BY 2.0 license.}

• Do you know what a tree trunk is?

It's not like an elephant's trunk! The tree trunk is the main part of the tree. This is the part just above the roots. The tree trunk gives the tree extra support. This part of the tree also transports the nutrients from the soil and water to other parts of the tree.

• Can you see the trunks of the trees below?

• Have you ever bumped into the trunk of a tree before?

If your skin touched the tree, you may have noticed how rough and bumpy a tree is. This protective outer layer is called bark. The bark of a tree helps protect the tree from insects, birds, and other animals that might want to get inside of the tree.

• Can you see the bark on the tree below?

If you continue to look up the tree, you may notice the branches. The branches transport the nutrients from the trunk to the leaves on the tree.

The leaves on the tree are very important! The leaves take the energy from the sun and change it into sugars, or food, the tree needs to survive. The sugars go through the leaves, branches, trunk, and roots.

Both the branches and the leaves make up the crown of the tree. A great way to remember where the crown of the tree is, is to remember that you wear a crown on your head, which is at the top of your body. The tree wears its crown at the top of its body!

Wow! You did an amazing job learning about the parts of a tree! Tell your parent or teacher what your favorite part of a tree is and why.

Move on to the next section to learn a tree song and create your own tree art!